2000
#10,689
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,743
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Pineiro
A Galician and Portuguese occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of pine-related products, such as resin or wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,852 Americans carry the last name Pineiro. That puts it at #9,294 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,981 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pineiro surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
3.9K
1 in 88,981
Census rank
#9,294
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,359 bearers of the surname Pineiro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9294th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pineiro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.0%. The next largest groups are White (11.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pineiro
The surname Pineiro has its origins in the northwestern region of Spain, particularly in the autonomous communities of Galicia and Asturias. It is derived from the Galician-Portuguese word "pinheiro," meaning "pine tree," which in turn comes from the Latin word "pinus."
This surname likely originated during the Middle Ages, when it was common for people to take on surnames related to their occupation, physical characteristics, or the natural surroundings in which they lived. In the case of Pineiro, it is believed to have been initially adopted by individuals who lived near pine forests or worked with pine trees.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Pineiro can be found in the Tumbo Viejo de Lugo, a medieval manuscript from the 12th century, which contains a record of a person named Petrus Pineiro.
In the 13th century, there are records of a nobleman named Gonzalo Pineiro, who was mentioned in documents related to the Monastery of San Salvador de Celanova in Galicia.
During the 16th century, the surname Pineiro gained prominence with the birth of Diego Pineiro (1512-1595), a Spanish explorer and conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico.
Another notable figure with this surname was Pedro Pineiro Ramírez (1568-1647), a Spanish painter and engraver who worked in Seville and is known for his religious paintings and engravings.
In the 19th century, Manuel Pineiro Losada (1804-1876) was a prominent Spanish poet and writer from Galicia, who helped promote the Galician language and culture.
Throughout history, the surname Pineiro has also been associated with various place names, such as Pineiro in the municipality of Cabañas, Galicia, and Pinheiro, a town in Portugal.
While the spelling "Pineiro" is most common in Spain, variations such as Piñeiro, Pinheiro, and Pinhero can be found in other regions, reflecting the linguistic and cultural diversity of the Iberian Peninsula.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pineiro
Among Census respondents with the surname Pineiro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.0%. The next largest groups are White (11.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Pineiro bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Pineiro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.0% · 2,922
- White11.5% · 386
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 18
- Two or more races0.5% · 17
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pineiro
Pineiro appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,461
+718 bearers (+26.2%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Up 1,294 places
2020
#9,294
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,359
-102 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Up 101 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,689 | 2,743 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,395 | 3,461 | 1.17 | +718 bearers (+26.2%) | Up 1,294 places |
| 2020 | #9,294 | 3,359 | 1.12 | -102 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 101 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Pineiro surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,395 | #9,294 | 1.1% |
| Count | 3,461 | 3,359 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.12 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pineiro bearers went from 3,461 to 3,359 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 101 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,395 to #9,294.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pineiro
FAQ
Pineiro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pineiro?
Name Census estimates that about 3,852 living Americans carry the surname Pineiro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,981 residents.
How common is Pineiro?
Pineiro ranks #9,294 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,359 people with the surname Pineiro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,852), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Pineiro.
Has Pineiro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pineiro went from 3,461 recorded bearers to 3,359. That is a decrease of 102 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,395 to #9,294.
What does the Census say about the background of Pineiro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pineiro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.0%. The next largest groups are White (11.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pineiro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (2,922 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pineiro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.0%), White (11.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Pineiro (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Pineiro mean?
A Galician and Portuguese occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of pine-related products, such as resin or wood. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Pineiro (1.12 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Pineiro?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.