Find out how popular the last name Palestina is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Palestina.

Palestina, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Palestina surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Palestina in America

Palestina is the 61123rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Palestina surname appeared 329 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Palestina.

We can also compare 2010 data for Palestina to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Palestina

The surname Palestina has its origins in the name of the historic region of Palestine, located in the Middle East. This name can be traced back to Ancient Greek, where it was written as Palaistínē, derived from the Hebrew word Peleshet, referring to the Philistines who inhabited the region.

In the 2nd century AD, the Roman Empire renamed the province of Judea as Syria Palaestina, after the Philistines, who were long-time adversaries of the Israelites. This name was later adopted by various European languages, evolving into Palestina in Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Palestina can be found in medieval Italian documents from the 12th and 13th centuries. It is likely that the name was initially adopted by individuals who hailed from or had connections to the region of Palestine, either through travel, trade, or religious pilgrimages.

One notable early bearer of the surname was Riccardo Palestina, a 13th-century Italian merchant and traveler who documented his travels to the Holy Land in his work "Itinerarium." Another early figure was Pietro Palestina, a 14th-century Venetian diplomat and ambassador to the court of the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt.

In the 15th century, the surname appeared in Spanish records, such as those of Juan Palestina, a soldier who fought in the Reconquista against the Moors in Andalusia. Another notable bearer was Miguel Palestina, a 16th-century Spanish explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico.

In Portugal, the surname Palestina can be traced back to the 16th century, with records of individuals such as António Palestina, a merchant and navigator who traveled extensively in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia.

Other notable individuals with the surname Palestina include Giuseppe Palestina, an 18th-century Italian architect and artist known for his work in Rome and Naples, and Vincenzo Palestina, a 19th-century Italian composer and conductor who worked in various Italian opera houses.

While the surname Palestina is not as common today as it once was, it remains a testament to the historical connections between Europe and the Middle East, reflecting the rich cultural exchanges and travels that occurred during the medieval and Renaissance periods.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Palestina

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Palestina.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Palestina was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Palestina has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Palestina was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Palestina, please contact us.

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