Trinidad last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Trinidad

A surname referencing the Caribbean island of Trinidad, likely indicating ancestral origins from that region.

Trinidad, 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 Trinidad surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Trinidad in America

Trinidad is the 2677th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Trinidad surname appeared 13,474 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 Trinidad.

We can also compare 2010 data for Trinidad 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 2677 3533 -27.57%
Count 13,474 9,228 37.41%
Proportion per 100k 4.57 3.42 28.79%

The history of the last name Trinidad

The surname Trinidad has its origins in Spain and Portugal, tracing back to the late 15th century when these countries began exploring and colonizing the Americas. The name itself is derived from the Spanish term "La Santísima Trinidad," meaning "The Most Holy Trinity," a central belief in Christianity.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the writings of Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus, who named the island he discovered in the Caribbean "La Isla de la Trinidad" (The Island of the Trinity) in 1498. This name later evolved into the modern-day country of Trinidad and Tobago.

During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the name Trinidad was often given to cities, towns, and settlements in honor of the Holy Trinity. Some notable examples include Trinidad, Cuba, founded in 1514, and Trinidad, Bolivia, established in the 16th century. These place names subsequently became surnames for families residing in or originating from those locations.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Trinidad appeared in various Spanish and Portuguese records and manuscripts, including baptismal records, marriage registers, and land grants. One notable bearer of the name was Diego de Trinidad, a Spanish soldier and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés during the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century.

Another notable individual with the surname Trinidad was José de la Trinidad Cabañas (1805-1876), a Honduran statesman and military leader who served as the President of Honduras from 1853 to 1855. Cabañas played a significant role in the country's struggle for independence from the Federal Republic of Central America.

In the 19th century, the surname Trinidad gained prominence in the Philippines, which was a Spanish colony at the time. One notable figure was Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera (1857-1925), a Filipino physician, historian, and politician who served as a member of the Malolos Congress during the Philippine Revolution against Spain.

Other notable individuals with the surname Trinidad include Juan Trinidad Reyes (1891-1976), a Mexican artist known for his murals and paintings depicting scenes from Mexican history and culture, and José Trinidad Cabañas (1805-1876), a Honduran military leader and politician who served as the President of Honduras from 1853 to 1855.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Trinidad

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

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 Trinidad was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 4.80% 647
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.68% 92
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 17.11% 2,305
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.10% 13
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.25% 168
Hispanic Origin 76.06% 10,248

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 Trinidad has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 4.80% 5.41% -11.95%
Black 0.68% 0.76% -11.11%
Asian and Pacific Islander 17.11% 18.99% -10.42%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.10% 0.16% -46.15%
Two or More Races 1.25% 1.39% -10.61%
Hispanic 76.06% 73.30% 3.70%

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Trinidad last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 5, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/trinidad-surname-popularity/.

"Trinidad last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/trinidad-surname-popularity/. Accessed 5 November, 2024

Trinidad last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/trinidad-surname-popularity/.

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