2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pantoya
A surname of Spanish origin meaning "place where oxen drank water".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Pantoya. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pantoya 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Pantoya in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pantoya, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.7%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pantoya
The surname Pantoya has its origins in Spain, with records indicating its use as early as the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "pantano," meaning "marsh" or "swamp," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near or worked in marshy areas.
In the medieval era, Pantoya was predominantly found in the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura, where the earliest known references to the name appear in historical documents and local records. Some scholars have also linked the name to the ancient Roman settlement of Pantoja, located near the modern-day city of Toledo.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Pantoya surname can be found in the Libro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a 14th-century manuscript that documented land ownership and taxation in the Kingdom of Castile. This document mentions a certain Juan Pantoya, who owned land in the village of Villarreal de San Carlos.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Pantoya name gained prominence as several individuals bearing this surname made significant contributions in various fields. Notably, Diego Pantoya (1530-1604) was a renowned philosopher and theologian who authored several influential works on ethics and moral philosophy.
Another notable figure was Alonso Pantoya (1578-1649), a skilled architect who played a crucial role in the construction of several churches and monasteries in the city of Seville, including the renowned Monasterio de San Clemente.
In the realm of literature, María Pantoya (1625-1691) was a celebrated poet whose works explored themes of love, nature, and spirituality. Her collection of sonnets, "Rimas de Amor y Devoción," gained widespread acclaim and was widely circulated among literary circles of the time.
The Pantoya surname also found its way to the Americas during the Spanish colonization era. One prominent figure was Hernán Pantoya (1602-1672), a conquistador who participated in the exploration and conquest of present-day Mexico and played a pivotal role in the establishment of several settlements in the region.
In more recent times, the Pantoya name has been associated with several notable individuals, including the renowned painter Juan Pantoya (1890-1957), whose vibrant landscapes and portraits captured the essence of Spanish rural life in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pantoya
Among Census respondents with the surname Pantoya, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.7%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pantoya 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 Pantoya surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.9% · 107
- White6.7% · 8
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pantoya
Pantoya 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,431 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,560 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 10,431 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 3,560 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 Pantoya 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 | #139,228 | #142,788 | -2.6% |
| Count | 120 | 119 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pantoya bearers went from 120 to 119 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,560 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #142,788.
FAQ
Pantoya surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pantoya?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Pantoya. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Pantoya?
Pantoya ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 119 people with the surname Pantoya. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Pantoya.
Has Pantoya become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pantoya went from 120 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Pantoya?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pantoya, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.7%) and Black (1.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pantoya in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pantoya appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.9%), White (6.7%), Black (1.7%). 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 Pantoya (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 Pantoya mean?
A surname of Spanish origin meaning "place where oxen drank water". 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 Pantoya (0.04 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 share the surname Pantoya?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.