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

Ponte, 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 Ponte surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ponte in America

Ponte is the 10894th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ponte surname appeared 2,924 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 Ponte.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ponte 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 Ponte

The surname PONTE is of Italian origin, deriving from the Italian word "ponte," meaning "bridge." The name likely originated in the medieval period, with early bearers living near a significant bridge or being associated with bridge construction or maintenance.

PONTE is a locational surname, suggesting that the earliest bearers of the name hailed from a specific place containing a notable bridge. Several Italian towns and villages, such as Ponte Nelle Alpi and Ponte San Pietro, incorporate the word "ponte" in their names, reflecting the influence of bridges on the local geography and history.

Historical records from the 13th century document the presence of the PONTE surname in various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Lombardy, and Veneto. Notable early bearers include Matteo Ponte, a renowned architect from Venice who designed several iconic bridges in the city during the 15th century.

The PONTE surname can be found in many archival sources, such as the Codice Diplomatico della Repubblica di Genova, which contains references to individuals with this surname in Genoa as early as the 12th century. Additionally, the Catasto Fiorentino, a tax record from Florence in the 15th century, lists several households with the PONTE surname.

Notable individuals with the surname PONTE include:

1. Lorenzo Ponte (1749-1838), an Italian librettist who collaborated with composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, providing the librettos for operas like "Le nozze di Figaro" and "Così fan tutte."

2. Giovanni Ponte (1535-1592), an Italian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of logarithms and the study of celestial mechanics.

3. Antonio da Ponte (c. 1512-1597), a Venetian architect and sculptor known for his work on the Basilica di San Marco and other notable buildings in Venice.

4. Jacopo da Ponte (c. 1510-1592), an Italian painter from the Venetian Renaissance period, known for his religious works and portraits.

5. Ludovico Ponte (c. 1522-1585), an Italian sculptor and architect who worked on the construction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and other significant projects during the Renaissance.

The PONTE surname has undergone various spelling variations throughout history, including Ponti, Pontis, and Pontelli, reflecting regional linguistic differences and the evolution of the Italian language over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ponte

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

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

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

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