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

Puente, 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 Puente surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Puente in America

Puente is the 2420th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Puente surname appeared 14,966 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Puente.

We can also compare 2010 data for Puente 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 Puente

The surname Puente is of Spanish origin, derived from the Spanish word "puente" which means "bridge". It first emerged in the regions of Spain during the medieval period, likely referring to someone who lived near a bridge or was a bridge keeper.

One of the earliest recorded references to the surname Puente can be found in the Libro de la Montería, a 14th-century manuscript that documented hunting expeditions in Spain. The name appeared in various spellings such as Puente, Ponte, and Pont.

In the 15th century, the surname Puente was documented in the town of Pastrana, in the province of Guadalajara, Spain. During this time, the surname was also associated with the noble family of Puente de la Reina in Navarre, Spain.

Notable individuals with the surname Puente include Juan de Puente (1547-1624), a Spanish theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Salamanca. Another prominent figure was Luis de Puente (1554-1624), a Spanish Jesuit priest and writer known for his spiritual works.

In the 16th century, the surname Puente spread to the Americas during the Spanish colonization. One of the earliest recorded instances was in Mexico, where Alonso de la Puente (c. 1560-1629) was a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of New Mexico.

In the 17th century, the surname Puente was found in various parts of Latin America, including Colombia and Peru. José de la Puente y Peña (1670-1736) was a Spanish-Peruvian painter and engraver who contributed to the development of art in colonial Peru.

The 18th century saw the rise of Juan Antonio Puente y Francos (1713-1789), a Spanish military engineer and architect known for his work on fortifications and public buildings in Spain and Latin America.

As the surname Puente spread across different regions and countries, it underwent various spelling variations such as Puente, Ponte, Pontón, and Pontones, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of different areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Puente

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

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

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

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