2000
#2,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,358
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.06
Uncommon Last name
Pimentel
A habitational surname referring to someone who lived near a pepper patch or in a place called Pimentel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 25,449 Americans carry the last name Pimentel. That puts it at #1,577 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,468 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pimentel 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Pimentel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
25K
1 in 13,468
Census rank
#1,577
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
22K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,193 bearers of the surname Pimentel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1577th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pimentel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.1%. The next largest groups are White (18.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pimentel
The surname Pimentel originates from Portugal, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Portuguese word "pimenta," meaning "pepper," and is thought to have been originally an occupational name for someone who grew, sold, or traded in pepper or other spices.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Pimentel name can be found in the medieval Portuguese chronicles, where a nobleman named Vasco Martins Pimentel is mentioned as a participant in the conquest of Algarve from the Moors in the 13th century.
During the Age of Exploration, the Pimentel name gained prominence as several members of the family played significant roles in the Portuguese maritime expeditions. João Pimentel, born in 1477, was a navigator who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his famous voyage to India in 1498.
In the 16th century, the Pimentel family established themselves as one of the leading noble houses in Portugal. Álvaro Pimentel, born in 1516, was a prominent military commander who served in the Portuguese campaigns in North Africa and India.
As the Portuguese Empire expanded, the Pimentel name spread to various colonies and territories. In Brazil, one of the earliest references to the name can be found in the 17th century, with the arrival of Portuguese settlers bearing the Pimentel surname.
Beyond Portugal and its colonies, the Pimentel name also found its way to other parts of the world, often through migration and intermarriage. In Spain, for example, the Pimentel family established a noble lineage, with figures such as Rodrigo Alonso Pimentel, born in 1441, serving as a diplomat and military leader.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the Pimentel surname. Francisco Pimentel, born in 1592, was a Spanish playwright and poet during the Golden Age of Spanish literature. Tomás Pimentel, born in 1766, was a Mexican military leader who played a significant role in the Mexican War of Independence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pimentel
Among Census respondents with the surname Pimentel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.1%. The next largest groups are White (18.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pimentel 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 Pimentel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino74.1% · 16,439
- White18.9% · 4,194
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.8% · 1,060
- Two or more races1.2% · 274
- Black or African American0.9% · 196
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pimentel
Pimentel 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
#1,671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,579
+5,221 bearers (+31.9%)
Per 100,000 7.32
Rank movement Up 360 places
2020
#1,577
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,193
+614 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 7.42
Rank movement Up 94 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,031 | 16,358 | 6.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,671 | 21,579 | 7.32 | +5,221 bearers (+31.9%) | Up 360 places |
| 2020 | #1,577 | 22,193 | 7.42 | +614 bearers (+2.8%) | Up 94 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 Pimentel 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 | #1,671 | #1,577 | 5.6% |
| Count | 21,579 | 22,193 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 7.32 | 7.42 | 1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pimentel bearers went from 21,579 to 22,193 (+2.8% change). The surname moved up 94 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,671 to #1,577.
FAQ
Pimentel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pimentel?
Name Census estimates that about 25,449 living Americans carry the surname Pimentel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,468 residents.
How common is Pimentel?
Pimentel ranks #1,577 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,193 people with the surname Pimentel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (25,449), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Pimentel.
Has Pimentel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pimentel went from 21,579 recorded bearers to 22,193. That is an increase of 614 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,671 to #1,577.
What does the Census say about the background of Pimentel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pimentel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.1%. The next largest groups are White (18.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pimentel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.1% (16,439 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pimentel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (74.1%), White (18.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%). 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 Pimentel (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 Pimentel mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone who lived near a pepper patch or in a place called Pimentel. 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 Pimentel (7.42 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 Pimentel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.