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

Piedrahita, 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 Piedrahita surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Piedrahita in America

Piedrahita is the 25332nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Piedrahita surname appeared 977 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 Piedrahita.

We can also compare 2010 data for Piedrahita 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 Piedrahita

The surname Piedrahita originates from Spain and has its roots in the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish place name "Piedrahita," which translates to "small stone" or "little rock." This place name likely referred to a location characterized by rocky terrain or the presence of small stones.

The earliest known record of the surname Piedrahita can be found in historical documents from the 13th century. It is believed that the name first appeared in the region of Castile and León, where the town of Piedrahita is located. This town, situated in the province of Ávila, is considered the birthplace of this surname.

One of the earliest documented instances of the Piedrahita surname is found in the "Fuero de Piedrahita," a legal document dating back to 1268. This charter granted various rights and privileges to the inhabitants of the town of Piedrahita, and it is likely that some of the individuals mentioned in this document bore the Piedrahita surname.

In the 15th century, a notable figure with the surname Piedrahita was Juan de Piedrahita, a Spanish nobleman and military commander. He played a significant role in the conquest of Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain, during the reign of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.

Another prominent individual with the Piedrahita surname was Cristóbal de Piedrahita y Acuña (1542-1629), a Spanish soldier and historian. He is best known for his chronicles documenting the conquest of the Canary Islands and the expeditions of Spanish explorers in the Americas.

In the 17th century, a Franciscan friar named Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita (1624-1688) gained recognition for his literary works. He authored several religious texts and historical accounts, including a comprehensive history of the conquest and colonization of the New Kingdom of Granada, a Spanish colonial territory that encompassed parts of present-day Colombia and Venezuela.

During the 18th century, Diego de Piedrahita y Narváez (1700-1778) was a notable figure in the Spanish colonial administration. He served as the Governor of Panama and later became the Viceroy of New Granada, overseeing the Spanish colonial territories in northern South America.

As the surname Piedrahita spread beyond its place of origin, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged. Some alternative spellings found in historical records include Piedrahita, Piedrahíta, and Piedrahida, reflecting regional linguistic differences and evolving orthographic practices.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Piedrahita

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

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

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

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