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

Portis, 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 Portis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Portis in America

Portis is the 9877th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Portis surname appeared 3,274 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 Portis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Portis 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 Portis

The surname Portis originated in Italy and is derived from the Latin word "portus", meaning "port" or "harbor". This suggests that the name was likely first borne by someone who lived near a port or worked in a harbor-related profession.

The earliest known recording of the name Portis can be found in the Venetian Republic's records from the 13th century, where it was spelled "Portis". This indicates that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in manuscripts from the city of Genoa, where it was recorded as "Portisi". This variation likely arose due to the influence of the local dialect.

One notable individual with the surname Portis was Giovanni Portis, a Venetian merchant and explorer who traveled extensively throughout the Mediterranean in the late 15th century. He is believed to have been born around 1450 and died in Venice in the early 1500s.

Another prominent figure with this name was Lorenzo Portis, a painter from the city of Siena who lived during the Renaissance. He was known for his religious works and frescoes, and his most famous painting, "The Adoration of the Magi", can still be seen in the Siena Cathedral today. Lorenzo Portis was born in 1475 and died in 1554.

In the 17th century, the name Portis appeared in records from the city of Naples, where it was sometimes spelled "Portisi". One notable individual from this time was Antonio Portis, a lawyer and legal scholar who wrote extensively on the laws and customs of the Kingdom of Naples. He was born in 1620 and died in 1692.

A famous bearer of the Portis surname in more recent history was Guido Portis, an Italian painter and sculptor who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was known for his portraits and landscapes, and his works can be found in several museums across Italy. Guido Portis was born in 1860 and died in 1928.

Throughout its history, the surname Portis has also been associated with various place names in Italy, such as the town of Portis in the province of Cuneo, and the village of Portisi in the province of Naples. These locations likely contributed to the spread and evolution of the name over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Portis

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

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

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

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