2000
#2,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,523
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.01
Uncommon Last name
Almeida
A Portuguese toponymic surname indicating an origin in one of several places named Almeida, meaning "elevated" or "high viewpoint."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,453 Americans carry the last name Almeida. That puts it at #1,974 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,758 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Almeida surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Almeida with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 16,758
Census rank
#1,974
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,836 bearers of the surname Almeida in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1974th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Almeida, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.8%) and Black (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Almeida
The surname Almeida is of Portuguese origin, derived from the Portuguese place name Almeida. This place name comes from the Arabic words "al-ma'idah," meaning "the table." The town of Almeida is located in the district of Guarda in northeastern Portugal, near the Spanish border.
The surname Almeida can be traced back to the 12th century, when it was first recorded in Portugal. It is believed to have originated from a prominent family that lived in the town of Almeida during this time period. The name was likely adopted as a surname to identify members of this family and their descendants.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname Almeida appears in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), a Portuguese genealogical record from the 13th century. This manuscript mentions several individuals with the surname Almeida who were members of the Portuguese nobility.
Throughout history, the surname Almeida has been associated with notable figures from various fields. For example, Fernão Lopes de Almeida (c. 1459-1505) was a Portuguese explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his voyage to India in 1498. Another prominent figure was Francisco de Almeida (c. 1450-1510), a Portuguese nobleman who served as the first Viceroy of Portuguese India from 1505 to 1509.
The surname Almeida was also carried by influential individuals in the arts and literature. One such figure was Theodoro de Almeida (1722-1804), a Brazilian poet and satirist known for his works criticizing the society and customs of his time. Another notable bearer of the surname was José Martiniano de Almeida (1831-1891), a Brazilian writer and journalist who was a prominent figure in the Romantic literary movement in Brazil.
In the realm of politics, Joaquim Maria Machado de Almeida (1873-1942) was a prominent figure in the early 20th century. He served as the President of Portugal from 1925 to 1926 during the turbulent years of the First Portuguese Republic.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have carried the surname Almeida and made significant contributions in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Almeida
Among Census respondents with the surname Almeida, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.8%) and Black (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Almeida bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Almeida surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.1% · 10,012
- Hispanic or Latino31.8% · 5,677
- Black or African American5.0% · 889
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.0% · 705
- Two or more races2.8% · 508
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Almeida
Almeida appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,760
+3,237 bearers (+23.9%)
Per 100,000 5.68
Rank movement Up 286 places
2020
#1,974
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,836
+1,076 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 5.97
Rank movement Up 192 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,452 | 13,523 | 5.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,166 | 16,760 | 5.68 | +3,237 bearers (+23.9%) | Up 286 places |
| 2020 | #1,974 | 17,836 | 5.97 | +1,076 bearers (+6.4%) | Up 192 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Almeida surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,166 | #1,974 | 8.9% |
| Count | 16,760 | 17,836 | 6.4% |
| Per 100K | 5.68 | 5.97 | 5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Almeida bearers went from 16,760 to 17,836 (+6.4% change). The surname moved up 192 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,166 to #1,974.
FAQ
Almeida surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Almeida?
Name Census estimates that about 20,453 living Americans carry the surname Almeida. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,758 residents.
How common is Almeida?
Almeida ranks #1,974 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,836 people with the surname Almeida. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,453), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Almeida.
Has Almeida become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Almeida went from 16,760 recorded bearers to 17,836. That is an increase of 1,076 (+6.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,166 to #1,974.
What does the Census say about the background of Almeida?
Among Census respondents with the surname Almeida, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.8%) and Black (5.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Almeida in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.1% (10,012 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Almeida appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.1%), Hispanic (31.8%), Black (5.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Almeida (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Almeida mean?
A Portuguese toponymic surname indicating an origin in one of several places named Almeida, meaning "elevated" or "high viewpoint." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Almeida (5.97 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Almeida?
Find out how common the surname Almeida is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.