2000
#19,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,325
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.49
Rare Last name
Pinales
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone living near pine groves or forests.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,447 Americans carry the last name Pinales. That puts it at #13,598 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,071 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pinales 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 140,071
Census rank
#13,598
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,134 bearers of the surname Pinales in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13598th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pinales, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pinales
The surname Pinales is of Spanish origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval period in the region of Catalonia, Spain. This name is derived from the Spanish word "pino," which means pine tree, suggesting a connection to an area abundant in pine forests or a reference to an individual's occupation involving pine trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Pinales surname can be found in the "Llibre del Repartiment," a 13th-century document that recorded the distribution of lands and properties among the conquerors of Valencia after the Christian conquest of the region in 1238. This document mentions individuals bearing the name Pinales, indicating their presence in the area during that time.
In the 16th century, historical records from the town of Alicante, located in the Valencian Community of Spain, mention a prominent family with the surname Pinales. Juan Pinales, born in 1525, was a renowned merchant and landowner whose family had a significant influence in the region.
The name Pinales also appears in various historical documents from other parts of Spain, such as Castile and Aragon. In the 18th century, José Pinales (1697-1774) was a notable painter from Madrid, known for his religious works and portraits.
Moving to the New World, the Pinales surname can be traced back to the Spanish colonization of the Americas. One notable figure was Pedro Pinales (1746-1813), a Spanish military officer who served in the Spanish colonial army and participated in the defense of New Spain (present-day Mexico) against the French invasion in the early 19th century.
Another prominent individual with the Pinales surname was María Pinales (1804-1876), a Chilean writer and educator who played a significant role in promoting women's education and advocating for social reforms in her country.
Throughout history, the Pinales surname has been associated with various professions and occupations, from merchants and landowners to artists and military personnel, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of individuals bearing this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pinales
Among Census respondents with the surname Pinales, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pinales 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 Pinales surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.6% · 2,019
- White4.0% · 85
- Black or African American0.8% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 4
- Two or more races0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pinales
Pinales 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
#14,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,992
+667 bearers (+50.3%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 4,152 places
2020
#13,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,134
+142 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 1,268 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,018 | 1,325 | 0.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,866 | 1,992 | 0.68 | +667 bearers (+50.3%) | Up 4,152 places |
| 2020 | #13,598 | 2,134 | 0.71 | +142 bearers (+7.1%) | Up 1,268 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 Pinales 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 | #14,866 | #13,598 | 8.5% |
| Count | 1,992 | 2,134 | 7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.71 | 5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pinales bearers went from 1,992 to 2,134 (+7.1% change). The surname moved up 1,268 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,866 to #13,598.
FAQ
Pinales surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pinales?
Name Census estimates that about 2,447 living Americans carry the surname Pinales. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,071 residents.
How common is Pinales?
Pinales ranks #13,598 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 2,134 people with the surname Pinales. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,447), 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 Pinales.
Has Pinales become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pinales went from 1,992 recorded bearers to 2,134. That is an increase of 142 (+7.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,866 to #13,598.
What does the Census say about the background of Pinales?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pinales, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.0%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Pinales in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (2,019 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pinales appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.6%), White (4.0%), Black (0.8%). 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 Pinales (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 Pinales mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone living near pine groves or forests. 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 Pinales (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 Pinales?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.