Explore the Family Name Mascarenhas

The meaning of Mascarenhas

Portuguese: habitational name from any of the places called Mascarenhas in Portugal. This name is also common in southwestern India, where it was taken by Portuguese colonists. Some characteristic forenames: Portuguese Henrique, Joaquim. Spanish Luis, Amaro, Ana, Jose, Julio, Mario. Indian Dinesh, Snehlata, Vijay.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Mascarenhas in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Mascarenhas has seen a significant rise between 2000 and 2010. The rank moved from 42,134 in 2000 to 33,731 in 2010, indicating an increase in popularity by approximately 19.94 percent. Furthermore, the count of individuals with this surname increased from 485 to 675 within the same period, marking a growth of 39.18%. Consequently, the proportion per 100k people also grew by 27.78%.

20002010Change
Rank#42,134#33,73119.94%
Count48567539.18%
Proportion per 100k0.180.2327.78%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Mascarenhas

Turning to the ethnic identity of individuals bearing the Mascarenhas surname, data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals that most identify as Asian/Pacific Islander or White. Between 2000 and 2010, the percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander saw an uptick from 54.02% to 58.96%. However, the number of those reporting their ethnicity as White marginally decreased from 30.72% to 29.48%. The number of individuals who identified themselves as being of two or more races saw a decrease of about 49.94%. The Hispanic group also witnessed a decline from 4.33% to 2.67%. Interestingly, the Black community saw a significant increase in representation from 2.06% to 4.44% within this ten-year period. The American Indian and Alaskan Native community remained at 0.00% over the decade.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander54.02%58.96%9.14%
White30.72%29.48%-4.04%
Two or More Races8.87%4.44%-49.94%
Black2.06%4.44%115.53%
Hispanic4.33%2.67%-38.34%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%