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

Pintos, 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 Pintos surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pintos in America

Pintos is the 63373rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pintos surname appeared 315 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 Pintos.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pintos 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 Pintos

The surname Pintos originated in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in Portugal and Spain, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Portuguese and Spanish word "pinto," which means "painted" or "spotted." This name likely referred to a person with a distinctive physical characteristic, such as a birthmark or freckles.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pintos can be found in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), a Portuguese genealogical manuscript from the 13th century. This manuscript mentions several individuals with the surname Pintos, indicating that the name was already established by that time.

In the 14th century, records show a Fernão Pintos serving as an official in the court of King Afonso IV of Portugal. Another notable figure from this era was João Pintos, a Portuguese explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his expeditions to India in the late 15th century.

During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, several individuals with the surname Pintos played important roles. One such figure was Juan Pintos, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro in the 16th century.

In the 17th century, Pedro Pintos was a renowned Portuguese composer and organist who served at the Royal Chapel in Lisbon. His works were highly regarded and contributed to the development of Portuguese Baroque music.

Another notable figure was Rodrigo Pintos, a Spanish military officer and explorer who led expeditions in the Americas during the 18th century. He was responsible for founding several settlements in present-day Argentina and Chile.

As the surname Pintos spread across the Iberian Peninsula and its colonies, variations in spelling emerged, such as Pinto, Pintheiro, and Pintado. These variations often reflected regional dialects or were adopted by different branches of the same family.

Throughout history, the surname Pintos has been associated with individuals from various professions, including artists, writers, musicians, and politicians. While some have achieved international recognition, others have made significant contributions at the local or regional level, solidifying the surname's presence in various communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pintos

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!