Pimentel
A Spanish and Portuguese surname most often linked to the noble Pimentel family of Castile and Portugal.
The #1,671 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 14,308 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is traditionally associated with a medieval Iberian family name, probably taken from a place-name or estate rather than from a common noun. Older genealogical writers connect it especially with the Pimentel line of Benavente, which made the name prominent in Castilian and Portuguese nobility. The exact deeper place-name origin is not securely established in the excerpts, so the name is best treated as a hereditary noble surname of toponymic type.
History
The Pimentel name appears prominently in Iberian aristocratic history, especially in Castile and later in Portugal. It is known through noble marriages and titles, which helped spread the surname beyond its original family seat. In modern use it remains common in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking communities, including the Americas.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname is strongly tied to one of the better-known noble houses of late medieval Castile, which helped preserve it in historical records.
From the historical record
“da, nocedal, nodal, nogareda, nogueral, 7iozal, nue- da, olivares, olmeda , olmedo, ortigosa , ortiguera, pereda, pereira, pimentel, 2^iiieda, jnnedo, pinero, pobeda , p)omar, pmneda , rabanal , rebollar, rebo- lledo, retamar, retamosa , robledo, robredo, rome- ral, salcedo, salgado, salinas, sanguineto, sobra- do…”
— Ensayo histórico etimológico filológico sobre los apellidos castellanos