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

Pimental, 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 Pimental surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pimental in America

Pimental is the 13190th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pimental surname appeared 2,317 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Pimental.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pimental 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 Pimental

The surname Pimental has its origins in Portugal, dating back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Portuguese word "pimenta," which means "pepper," likely referring to someone who grew or traded in this spice.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pimental can be found in the 16th-century manuscript "Livro de Linhagens" (Book of Lineages), which documented noble families in Portugal. It mentions a family with the surname Pimental from the region of Alentejo.

In the late 15th century, a man named João Pimental (1450-1521) was a prominent navigator and explorer in the service of the Portuguese Crown. He is known for his voyages to the coasts of West Africa and Brazil.

Another notable figure was Manuel Pimental (1620-1689), a Portuguese Jesuit priest and missionary who worked in South America, particularly in Brazil. He was renowned for his efforts in converting indigenous populations to Christianity.

In the 18th century, Tomás Pimental (1707-1782) was a renowned Portuguese architect who designed several churches and palaces in Lisbon and other parts of Portugal.

The surname Pimental has also been associated with the town of Pimentel in the province of Valladolid, Spain. It is believed that some individuals with this surname may have originated from this region before migrating to Portugal.

During the Age of Exploration, the Pimental surname spread to various Portuguese colonies, including Brazil, Africa, and parts of Asia. Some notable individuals with this surname from these regions include:

1. Francisco Pimental (1592-1653), a Brazilian landowner and sugar plantation owner in the state of Pernambuco.
2. Manuel Pimental (1650-1719), a Portuguese-born military officer who served as the Governor of Portuguese Mozambique.
3. António Pimental (1725-1799), a Portuguese-born merchant and trader who settled in Goa, India, and established a successful trading company.
4. Luís Pimental (1765-1830), a Brazilian lawyer and politician who played a significant role in the independence movement of Brazil.
5. Ignacio Pimental (1820-1890), a prominent Mexican military officer and politician who served as the Governor of the state of Chihuahua.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pimental

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

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

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

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