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

Portal, 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 Portal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Portal in America

Portal is the 23185th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Portal surname appeared 1,100 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 Portal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Portal 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 Portal

The surname PORTAL has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the regions of Spain and Portugal. The name is derived from the Latin word "portalis," which means "relating to a gate or door." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have lived near a gate or entrance to a town or city.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PORTAL can be found in the Catalan region of Spain during the 13th century. In a manuscript dated 1278, a certain Bernat PORTAL is mentioned as a landowner in the town of Lleida. This indicates that the name had already been established in that area by that time.

During the Age of Exploration, the PORTAL name spread to various parts of the Spanish Empire, including the Americas. One notable figure was Juan PORTAL, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico in the 16th century. He was born in Seville, Spain, around 1490 and died in Mexico City in 1560.

In the 17th century, the PORTAL surname appeared in records from the Portuguese colony of Brazil. A notable figure was Antônio PORTAL, a wealthy landowner and sugar plantation owner who lived in Pernambuco from 1625 to 1695.

The name PORTAL can also be found in historical records from other parts of Europe, such as France and Italy, likely due to migration and intermarriage. For instance, in the 18th century, a French nobleman named Louis PORTAL (1722-1804) served as a diplomat and writer.

Another prominent figure was the Italian physicist and philosopher Edmondo PORTAL (1831-1911), who made significant contributions to the study of electromagnetism and the philosophical implications of scientific discoveries.

Throughout history, the PORTAL surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, and military leaders. For example, Manuel PORTAL (1857-1919) was a Spanish painter known for his landscapes and portraits, while Francisco PORTAL (1892-1963) was a Spanish general who fought in the Spanish Civil War.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Portal

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

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

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

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