2000
#6,700
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,651
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.72
Rare Last name
Coelho
A Portuguese occupational surname referring to a rabbit hunter or merchant of rabbit skins.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,119 Americans carry the last name Coelho. That puts it at #5,427 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,146 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Coelho 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 Coelho with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.1K
1 in 48,146
Census rank
#5,427
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,208 bearers of the surname Coelho in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5427th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Coelho, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Coelho
The surname "COELHO" is of Portuguese origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Portuguese word "coelho," which means "rabbit" or "hare." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname, possibly referring to someone who had a resemblance to a rabbit or worked with rabbits.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in medieval Portuguese records and documents, such as parish registers and census rolls. One notable example is João Coelho, a Portuguese explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his famous voyage to India in 1498.
During the Age of Discovery, many Portuguese explorers, settlers, and traders carried the Coelho surname to various parts of the world, including Brazil, Africa, and Asia. As a result, the name can be found in historical records and archives from these regions.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the Coelho surname was Gaspar Coelho, a Portuguese navigator and explorer who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his famous circumnavigation of the globe. Coelho was born around 1480 and played a crucial role in the expedition, taking command after Magellan's death in 1521.
Another prominent individual with the Coelho surname was Gonçalo Coelho, a 16th-century Portuguese explorer and colonial administrator. He served as the first captain-general of Portuguese India and played a significant role in establishing Portuguese settlements in the Indian subcontinent.
In the 19th century, José Francisco Coelho was a renowned Brazilian poet and writer. Born in 1809, he is considered one of the most important figures of the Romantic movement in Brazilian literature.
The Coelho surname is also associated with several place names in Portugal, such as Coelheiros, a parish in the municipality of Castelo Branco, and Coelho Vaz, a village in the municipality of Tondela. These place names likely originated from individuals or families bearing the Coelho surname who settled or lived in those areas.
Throughout history, the Coelho surname has been found in various spellings, including Coelho, Coelhu, Cuelhu, and Cuelho, reflecting regional variations and linguistic changes over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Coelho
Among Census respondents with the surname Coelho, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Coelho 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 Coelho surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.3% · 4,925
- Hispanic or Latino8.2% · 507
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.7% · 294
- Two or more races4.6% · 285
- Black or African American2.8% · 176
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Coelho
Coelho 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
#6,124
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,593
+942 bearers (+20.3%)
Per 100,000 1.90
Rank movement Up 576 places
2020
#5,427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,208
+615 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Up 697 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,700 | 4,651 | 1.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,124 | 5,593 | 1.90 | +942 bearers (+20.3%) | Up 576 places |
| 2020 | #5,427 | 6,208 | 2.08 | +615 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 697 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 Coelho 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 | #6,124 | #5,427 | 11.4% |
| Count | 5,593 | 6,208 | 11.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.90 | 2.08 | 9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Coelho bearers went from 5,593 to 6,208 (+11.0% change). The surname moved up 697 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,124 to #5,427.
FAQ
Coelho surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Coelho?
Name Census estimates that about 7,119 living Americans carry the surname Coelho. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,146 residents.
How common is Coelho?
Coelho ranks #5,427 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,208 people with the surname Coelho. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Coelho.
Has Coelho become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Coelho went from 5,593 recorded bearers to 6,208. That is an increase of 615 (+11.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,124 to #5,427.
What does the Census say about the background of Coelho?
Among Census respondents with the surname Coelho, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%). 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 Coelho in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.3% (4,925 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Coelho appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.3%), Hispanic (8.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%). 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 Coelho (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 Coelho mean?
A Portuguese occupational surname referring to a rabbit hunter or merchant of rabbit skins. 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 Coelho (2.08 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 Americans have the surname Coelho?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.