Pestana last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Pestana

A Portuguese surname derived from the word meaning "eyelash" or "fringe".

Pestana, 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 Pestana surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pestana in America

Pestana is the 19152nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pestana surname appeared 1,418 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 Pestana.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pestana 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 19152 19908 -3.87%
Count 1,418 1,248 12.75%
Proportion per 100k 0.48 0.46 4.26%

The history of the last name Pestana

The surname Pestana is of Portuguese origin, derived from the word "pestana," which means "eyelash" or "eyelid" in Portuguese. This surname likely originated in the medieval period, possibly as a nickname for someone with distinctive eyelashes or eyelids.

The earliest known record of the surname Pestana can be found in the Portuguese royal archives from the 13th century, where it appears as a reference to a landowner or nobleman. The name was prevalent in the northern regions of Portugal, particularly in the provinces of Minho and Douro Litoral.

One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Pestana was João Pestana, a nobleman who lived in the late 14th century and held lands near the city of Braga. His name is mentioned in several historical records from that time period, including a royal decree issued by King João I in 1385.

In the 16th century, a prominent figure bearing the surname Pestana was Diogo Pestana, a navigator and explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his voyages to India. Diogo Pestana played a significant role in establishing Portuguese settlements in India and served as a colonial administrator in Goa.

Another notable individual with the surname Pestana was Manuel Pestana, a 17th-century architect and master builder who was responsible for the construction of several churches and monasteries in Portugal, including the famous Monastery of Santa Maria de Alcobaça.

During the 18th century, a branch of the Pestana family migrated to Brazil, where they became influential landowners and plantation owners. One of the most prominent members of this Brazilian branch was José Pestana, who was born in 1752 and became a successful sugar plantation owner in the state of Pernambuco.

In the 19th century, António Pestana, born in 1825, was a notable Portuguese writer and journalist who advocated for social and political reforms. He founded several newspapers and played a significant role in the intellectual and literary movements of his time.

Throughout history, the surname Pestana has been associated with various professions and occupations, including landowners, navigators, architects, writers, and journalists. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Portugal, the name has since spread to other Portuguese-speaking regions and countries due to migration and colonial expansions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pestana

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

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 Pestana was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 58.74% 833
Non-Hispanic Black Only 2.19% 31
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 5.57% 79
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.42% 6
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 4.37% 62
Hispanic Origin 28.70% 407

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 Pestana has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 58.74% 62.34% -5.95%
Black 2.19% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 5.57% 5.13% 8.22%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.42% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 4.37% 6.65% -41.38%
Hispanic 28.70% 24.44% 16.03%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Pestana last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/pestana-surname-popularity/.

"Pestana last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/pestana-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Pestana last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/pestana-surname-popularity/.

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