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

Pendas, 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 Pendas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pendas in America

Pendas is the 106570th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pendas surname appeared 167 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 Pendas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pendas 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 Pendas

The surname Pendas originated in northern Spain, specifically in the regions of Asturias and Cantabria, during the medieval period. It is believed to derive from the Latin word "pendere," meaning "to hang" or "to slope," possibly referring to a geographic feature or a place name associated with a sloping or hanging landform.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pendas can be found in the Cartulario de San Vicente de Oviedo, a collection of medieval documents from the 9th century. This document mentions a nobleman named Fernán Pendas, who held land in the vicinity of Oviedo, the capital of the Kingdom of Asturias.

The Pendas surname is also linked to the town of Pendás, located in the municipality of Caso, Asturias. This place name likely originated from the same root as the surname, indicating that the family may have had ties to this area or that the name was derived from the place name itself.

During the 12th century, a notable figure named Rodrigo Pendas is mentioned in the Libro de las Reglas, a legal code compiled in the Kingdom of León. Rodrigo Pendas held a prominent position as a judge or magistrate, indicating the family's influence and status in that region.

In the 14th century, a nobleman named Juan Pendas was recorded as a participant in the Reconquista, the prolonged campaign to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Moorish rule. Juan Pendas fought alongside King Alfonso XI of Castile in the decisive Battle of Río Salado in 1340.

Another historical figure bearing the Pendas surname was Alonso Pendas, a 16th-century explorer and navigator from Asturias. Alonso Pendas accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expeditions to the Americas and played a role in the conquest of Mexico.

Over the centuries, the Pendas surname has spread beyond its original region, but its roots can be traced back to the northern Spanish regions of Asturias and Cantabria, where it was first established during the medieval era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pendas

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

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

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

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