2000
#2,858
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,533
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.28
Uncommon Last name
Puente
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a bridge or worked as a bridge keeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,439 Americans carry the last name Puente. That puts it at #2,458 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,850 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Puente surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 20,850
Census rank
#2,458
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,336 bearers of the surname Puente in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2458th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Puente, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Puente
Among Census respondents with the surname Puente, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Puente bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Puente surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.9% · 13,322
- White5.8% · 832
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 61
- Black or African American0.3% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 41
- Two or more races0.3% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Puente
Puente appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,420
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,966
+3,433 bearers (+29.8%)
Per 100,000 5.07
Rank movement Up 438 places
2020
#2,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,336
-630 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 4.80
Rank movement Down 38 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,858 | 11,533 | 4.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,420 | 14,966 | 5.07 | +3,433 bearers (+29.8%) | Up 438 places |
| 2020 | #2,458 | 14,336 | 4.80 | -630 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 38 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Puente surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,420 | #2,458 | -1.6% |
| Count | 14,966 | 14,336 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 5.07 | 4.80 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Puente bearers went from 14,966 to 14,336 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 38 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,420 to #2,458.
FAQ
Puente surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Puente?
Name Census estimates that about 16,439 living Americans carry the surname Puente. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,850 residents.
How common is Puente?
Puente ranks #2,458 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,336 people with the surname Puente. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,439), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Puente.
Has Puente become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Puente went from 14,966 recorded bearers to 14,336. That is a decrease of 630 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,420 to #2,458.
What does the Census say about the background of Puente?
Among Census respondents with the surname Puente, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Puente in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (13,322 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Puente appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.9%), White (5.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Puente (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Puente mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a bridge or worked as a bridge keeper. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Puente (4.80 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Puente?
If you just want to know how common the surname Puente is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.