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

Tenorio, 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 Tenorio surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tenorio in America

Tenorio is the 4111th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tenorio surname appeared 8,629 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Tenorio.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tenorio 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 Tenorio

The surname Tenorio originated in Spain and Portugal during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "tenorio," which means "landowner" or "lord of the manor." The name likely has its roots in the Latin word "tenet," meaning "to hold" or "to possess."

The earliest recorded instances of the Tenorio surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of the Iberian Peninsula, including Castile, Aragon, and Galicia. Some historical records mention individuals with variations of the name, such as Tenorio, Tenorio de Avila, and Tenorio de Castilla.

One of the most notable historical figures bearing the Tenorio name was Don Juan Tenorio, a legendary Spanish nobleman and seducer who lived in the 14th century. His exploits and adventures were immortalized in the famous play "El Burlador de Sevilla y Convidado de Piedra" (The Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest) by Tirso de Molina, which later inspired other works like Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni."

Another prominent figure with the Tenorio surname was Álvaro Tenorio, a Spanish military leader and admiral who served under King Alfonso XI of Castile in the 14th century. He played a crucial role in the Battle of Salado against the Marinid dynasty of Morocco in 1340.

In the 15th century, Pedro Tenorio was a Spanish Catholic prelate who served as the Archbishop of Toledo from 1377 to 1399. He was a significant figure in the ecclesiastical and political spheres of his time.

During the 16th century, Pedro Tenorio de Guzmán was a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro. He played a role in the capture of the Inca emperor Atahualpa and the subsequent subjugation of the Inca Empire.

The Tenorio surname also has a presence in Portuguese history. One notable figure was João Tenório, a 15th-century Portuguese navigator and explorer who participated in the early voyages of exploration along the West African coast under the sponsorship of Prince Henry the Navigator.

While the Tenorio surname has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly to Latin American countries due to Spanish and Portuguese colonization and migration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tenorio

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

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

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

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