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

Tenuta, 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 Tenuta surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tenuta in America

Tenuta is the 38948th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tenuta surname appeared 566 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 Tenuta.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tenuta 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 Tenuta

The surname Tenuta is of Italian origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Italian word "tenuta," which means "holding" or "estate." The name likely originated as a descriptive term for someone who owned or managed a large landed estate or property.

The earliest known records of the name Tenuta can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Italy, particularly in the northern regions such as Lombardy and Veneto. It was often associated with noble families and landowners who held significant tracts of land.

One of the earliest documented instances of the name Tenuta can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Longobardo, a collection of medieval documents from the Lombard period in Italy, where a certain "Guglielmo della Tenuta" is mentioned in a land transaction dated 1274.

Another early reference to the name appears in the Libro d'Oro della Nobiltà Veneziana, a registry of noble families in Venice, where the Tenuta family is listed as a prominent lineage in the 14th century.

Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname Tenuta. One of the earliest was Giacomo Tenuta (1325-1389), a wealthy landowner and merchant from Verona who funded the construction of a church and a hospital in his hometown.

Another prominent figure was Giovanni Battista Tenuta (1593-1663), a renowned Baroque architect from Milan who designed several churches and palaces in various Italian cities, including the Church of Santa Maria della Salute in Venice.

In the 19th century, Luigi Tenuta (1809-1888) was a respected Italian painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes, many of which are preserved in museums across Italy.

More recently, Vincenzo Tenuta (1906-1982) was a celebrated Italian operatic tenor who performed at major opera houses around the world, including La Scala in Milan and the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

Lastly, Gianluigi Tenuta (1947-2020) was a prominent Italian businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to various charitable causes, particularly in the field of education and healthcare.

While the surname Tenuta has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and intermarriage, ensuring that the legacy of this historic name continues to endure.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tenuta

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

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

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

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