The Pestana surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 1,418 people carried this name — #19,152 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 208,300 people counted. That is up 14% from 1,248 in 2000.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 539 people named Pestana live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
107 people named Pestana live in Switzerland.
They live in 11 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 52 people named Pestana.
Most of them — 33 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 7 départements, most often Somme.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In print
Pestana in American newspapers,
1900–1963.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 3,451 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Pestana,
with a public archive behind them.
-
José Ferreira Pestana 1795–1885 · politician -
Luís da Câmara Pestana 1863–1899 · physician -
Augusto Pestana 1868–1934 · engineer -
Celso Pestana 1900–1933 -
Baldomero Pestana 1917–2015 · photographer -
Manuel Gregório Pestana Júnior 1886–1969 · judge
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 29 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Pestana.
- Pesch 746 · U.S. census
- Peschel 751 · U.S. census
- Pesci 384 · U.S. census
- Pesin 150 · U.S. census
- Pessin 348 · U.S. census
- Pesson 136 · U.S. census
- Pestel 178 · U.S. census
- Pete 4,619 · U.S. census
- Petel 143 · U.S. census
- Peter 9,191 · U.S. census
- Petermann 1,025 · U.S. census
- Peters 137,513 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Pestana is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.