2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bordallo
A Portuguese surname likely derived from the French "bordel" meaning a small house, possibly referring to someone from a small dwelling.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 169 Americans carry the last name Bordallo. That puts it at #123,144 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,028,132 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bordallo 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.
Bearers in the US
169
1 in 2,028,132
Census rank
#123,144
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
147
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 147 bearers of the surname Bordallo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 123144th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bordallo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 55.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (28.6%) and White (10.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bordallo
The surname Bordallo is of Portuguese origin, with roots tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated in the northern region of Portugal, particularly in the areas around Porto and Braga. The name is derived from the Portuguese word "bordalo," which means a type of wild pig or boar.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bordallo surname can be found in a 14th-century document from the region of Minho, where a landowner named Fernão Bordallo is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already well-established among the local nobility and landed gentry by that time.
During the Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries, several Portuguese explorers and navigators bearing the Bordallo surname played significant roles in the expansion of the Portuguese Empire. Notable among them was João Rodrigues Bordallo, who was a navigator and cartographer responsible for mapping parts of the Brazilian coast in the early 16th century.
The Bordallo surname also gained prominence in the artistic and cultural spheres of Portugal. Rafael Bordallo Pinheiro (1835-1905) was a renowned Portuguese ceramist, cartoonist, and founder of the satirical magazine "A Paródia." His ceramic works, particularly the Bordallo Pinheiro majolica, became iconic representations of Portuguese folk art and gained international recognition.
Another notable figure was Tomás Bordallo Pinheiro (1867-1938), a painter and illustrator who was Rafael Bordallo Pinheiro's son. Tomás Bordallo Pinheiro was known for his illustrations of Portuguese folklore and rural life, as well as his contributions to the modernist art movement in Portugal.
In the realm of literature, João Fernandes Bordallo (1899-1968) was a acclaimed Portuguese novelist and playwright. His works, such as "A Velha Casa" and "Mau Tempo no Canal," explored themes of social injustice and the struggles of the working class in Portugal.
Beyond Portugal, the Bordallo surname also found its way to other parts of the world, including Brazil and the United States, through Portuguese immigration. For instance, Raphael Bordallo Gomes (1910-1992) was a Brazilian artist and sculptor who gained recognition for his abstract and modernist works.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bordallo
Among Census respondents with the surname Bordallo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 55.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (28.6%) and White (10.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bordallo 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 Bordallo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino55.8% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander28.6% · 42
- White10.2% · 15
- Two or more races4.8% · 7
- Black or African American0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bordallo
Bordallo 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
+13 bearers (+11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,789 places
2020
#123,144
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 147
+20 bearers (+15.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 9,904 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+11.4%) | Up 2,789 places |
| 2020 | #123,144 | 147 | 0.05 | +20 bearers (+15.7%) | Up 9,904 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 Bordallo 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 | #133,048 | #123,144 | 7.4% |
| Count | 127 | 147 | 15.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 23.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bordallo bearers went from 127 to 147 (+15.7% change). The surname moved up 9,904 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #123,144.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bordallo
FAQ
Bordallo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bordallo?
Name Census estimates that about 169 living Americans carry the surname Bordallo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,028,132 residents.
How common is Bordallo?
Bordallo ranks #123,144 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 147 people with the surname Bordallo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (169), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bordallo.
Has Bordallo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bordallo went from 127 recorded bearers to 147. That is an increase of 20 (+15.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #133,048 to #123,144.
What does the Census say about the background of Bordallo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bordallo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 55.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (28.6%) and White (10.2%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bordallo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.8% (82 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bordallo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (55.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (28.6%), White (10.2%). 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 Bordallo (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 Bordallo mean?
A Portuguese surname likely derived from the French "bordel" meaning a small house, possibly referring to someone from a small dwelling. 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 Bordallo (0.05 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 common is the surname Bordallo?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Bordallo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.