2000
#12,945
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,174
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Pimental
A locational surname referring to someone from Pimentel, a place in Portugal, or derived from the Portuguese word "pimienta" meaning "pepper."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,436 Americans carry the last name Pimental. That puts it at #13,660 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,704 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pimental surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 140,704
Census rank
#13,660
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,124 bearers of the surname Pimental in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13660th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pimental, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.7%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pimental
Among Census respondents with the surname Pimental, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.7%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Pimental bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Pimental surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.5% · 1,518
- Hispanic or Latino18.7% · 398
- Two or more races5.1% · 109
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.1% · 65
- Black or African American0.8% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pimental
Pimental appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#13,190
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,317
+143 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 245 places
2020
#13,660
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,124
-193 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 470 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,945 | 2,174 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,190 | 2,317 | 0.79 | +143 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 245 places |
| 2020 | #13,660 | 2,124 | 0.71 | -193 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 470 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Pimental surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,190 | #13,660 | -3.6% |
| Count | 2,317 | 2,124 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.71 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pimental bearers went from 2,317 to 2,124 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 470 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,190 to #13,660.
FAQ
Pimental surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pimental?
Name Census estimates that about 2,436 living Americans carry the surname Pimental. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,704 residents.
How common is Pimental?
Pimental ranks #13,660 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,124 people with the surname Pimental. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,436), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Pimental.
Has Pimental become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pimental went from 2,317 recorded bearers to 2,124. That is a decrease of 193 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,190 to #13,660.
What does the Census say about the background of Pimental?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pimental, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.7%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pimental in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.5% (1,518 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pimental appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.5%), Hispanic (18.7%), Two or More Races (5.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Pimental (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Pimental mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Pimentel, a place in Portugal, or derived from the Portuguese word "pimienta" meaning "pepper." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Pimental (0.71 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Pimental?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.