Explore the Family Name Pestano

The meaning of Pestano

1. Spanish (Santa Cruz de Tenerife): altered form of Portuguese Pestana ‘eyelash, eyebrow’, with the male suffix -o for matching with the sex of the bearer of the surname. 2. Hispanic (Philippines; Pestaño): altered form of Spanish Pestaña ‘eyelash, eyebrow’ (see Pestana).

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Pestano in the United States?

According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Pestano has seen a significant rise. In 2000, it was ranked 67,725th and by 2010, it had risen to the rank of 59,603rd, reflecting an increase of nearly 12%. The count of individuals with this surname also grew, from 272 in 2000 to 339 in 2010, a growth rate of almost 25%. Similarly, the proportion of people with the surname Pestano per 100,000 people increased by 10% within the same decade.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#67,725	#59,603	11.99%
Count	272	339	24.63%
Proportion per 100k	0.1	0.11	10%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Pestano

The ethnicity distribution of Pestano, based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, revealed some shifts between 2000 and 2010. While the majority identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, with slightly over 38% in both years, there was a small decline of 0.50% over the decade. The White population witnessed an increase of 12.35%, rising from 18.38% to 20.65%. The Hispanic population saw modest growth, increasing from 22.06% to 22.42%, whereas the Black population decreased from 12.13% to 10.62%. There was no change for those identifying as two or more races, or American Indian and Alaskan Native, with the percentages remaining at 0 for both categories.

	2000	2010	Change
Asian/Pacific Islander	38.24%	38.05%	-0.5%
Hispanic	22.06%	22.42%	1.63%
White	18.38%	20.65%	12.35%
Black	12.13%	10.62%	-12.45%
Two or More Races	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%