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

Portes, 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 Portes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Portes in America

Portes is the 33316th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Portes surname appeared 686 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 Portes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Portes 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 Portes

The surname PORTES has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "puerta," which means "door" or "gate." The name was likely given to someone who lived near a prominent gate or doorway, or perhaps worked as a gatekeeper.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as "de la Puerta" and "Portero" in official records and documents. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PORTES can be found in the Catalonian town of Lleida, where a certain Pere Portes was mentioned in a 1284 census record.

As the name spread across Spain, it took on different spellings and variations, including Portés, Portés, and Portes. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and linguistic differences.

One notable bearer of the PORTES name was Juan Portes, a renowned architect from Seville who lived in the late 15th century. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings, including the Hospital de las Cinco Llagas (Hospital of the Five Holy Wounds) in Seville.

Another historical figure with the PORTES surname was Baltasar Portes, a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his famous circumnavigation of the globe in the early 16th century. Portes played a crucial role in the expedition and was one of the few survivors who returned to Spain after the voyage.

In the 17th century, the name PORTES gained prominence in the Americas, particularly in Mexico and parts of Central America. One notable individual was Diego Portes, a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Guatemala in the 1520s. He later became a prominent landowner and played a role in the establishment of several colonial settlements.

Another significant figure was María Portes, a renowned painter from New Spain (present-day Mexico) who lived in the late 17th century. Her works, which depicted religious scenes and portraits, were highly regarded and can be found in several churches and museums across Mexico.

During the 19th century, the PORTES name appeared in various parts of Europe and the Americas, with notable individuals such as Enrique Portes, a Cuban writer and journalist who was active in the Cuban independence movement, and José Portes, a prominent Chilean politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Chilean Congress in the 1880s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Portes

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Portes, 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!