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

Pulgarín, 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 Pulgarín surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pulgarín in America

Pulgarín is the 29117th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pulgarín surname appeared 814 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 Pulgarín.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pulgarín 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 Pulgarín

The surname Pulgarin has its origins in Spain, specifically in the region of Catalonia. It dates back to the 13th century and is derived from the Catalan word "polgar," which means "thumb" or "inch." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a distinct or prominent thumb.

In medieval times, it was common practice to assign surnames based on physical characteristics, occupations, or places of origin. The name Pulgarin is believed to have emerged as a variant of the more common surname Pulgares, which also has the same root meaning.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Pulgarin can be found in the archives of the Cathedral of Barcelona, where a certain Bernat Pulgarin is listed as a witness in a legal document dated 1287.

During the 15th century, the Pulgarin family seems to have established a presence in the town of Granollers, near Barcelona. Records from the local church mention several individuals bearing this surname, including Jaume Pulgarin, who served as a parish priest in 1472.

As the name spread across Spain, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Pulgarin, Pulgarín, and Pulgarino. One notable bearer of the name was Don Juan Pulgarin de Escalona, a military officer who participated in the conquest of Granada in 1492 under the Catholic Monarchs.

In the 16th century, the Pulgarin family extended its reach to the Americas during the Spanish colonization. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Alonso Pulgarin, who arrived in Peru in 1535 as part of the expeditionary forces led by Diego de Almagro.

Another prominent figure was Fray Alonso Pulgarin, a Franciscan friar born in Seville in 1578. He devoted his life to missionary work among the indigenous populations of New Spain (present-day Mexico) and is credited with establishing several missions in the region.

In the 17th century, the name Pulgarin appeared in various regions of Spain, including Andalusia, where Juan Pulgarin y Sotomayor (1623-1687) was a distinguished poet and playwright from Malaga.

As the centuries passed, the Pulgarin surname continued to be carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, scattered across Spain and its former colonies in the Americas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pulgarín

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

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

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

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