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

Pardo, 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 Pardo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pardo in America

Pardo is the 3249th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pardo surname appeared 11,104 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Pardo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pardo 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 Pardo

The surname Pardo is of Spanish origin, deriving from the Spanish word "pardo" meaning "brown" or "gray." It is believed to have originated as a nickname or descriptive name for someone with brown or grayish hair or complexion.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Pardo can be traced back to the 12th century in the Iberian Peninsula, particularly in the regions of Castile and Aragon. It is also found in the historical records of the Reconquista, the centuries-long period when Christian kingdoms fought to reclaim territories from the Moors.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name Pardo was Pedro Pardo de la Casta, a Spanish nobleman born in 1185 in Seville. He was a prominent military leader during the Reconquista and played a significant role in the capture of Cordoba from the Moors in 1236.

In the 15th century, the surname Pardo gained prominence with the rise of the Pardo de la Vega family, who were influential noblemen and landowners in the region of Andalusia. One notable member was Alonso Pardo de la Vega, born in 1440 in Cordoba, who served as a diplomat and advisor to King Ferdinand II of Aragon.

The surname Pardo also has a connection to various place names in Spain, such as Pardos in the province of Lugo and Pardo in the province of Toledo. These place names likely derived from the same word "pardo" and may have influenced the surname's spread and usage.

During the era of Spanish colonization in the Americas, many individuals with the surname Pardo traveled to the New World and contributed to the settlement and development of various regions. One such individual was Diego Pardo, born in 1530 in Seville, who was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. He led expeditions into present-day North Carolina and Virginia in the late 16th century.

Other notable bearers of the surname Pardo include:

1. María Pardo de Andrade (1633-1693), a Spanish poet and playwright from Galicia.
2. Juan Pardo de Neyra (1570-1639), a Spanish military officer and governor of Chile.
3. Pedro Pardo de Cela (1534-1618), a Spanish Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Quito.
4. Juan Pardo de Tavera (1472-1545), a Spanish Cardinal and Grand Inquisitor during the Spanish Inquisition.
5. Francisco Pardo Bazán (1809-1899), a Spanish writer, historian, and politician from Galicia.

The surname Pardo continues to be widely used in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries, reflecting its rich historical roots and the contributions of its bearers throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pardo

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

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 Pardo 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 Pardo 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 Pardo was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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