Pimentel is a Portuguese and Spanish surname of Portuguese origin, whose nobles initially belonged to the illustrious Portuguese Benavente family. Another branch was established in Spain, in which its members comprised the House of Pimentel, a Spanish noble family of Portuguese origin, who also became established and distinguished in the Kingdom of Castile. Pimentel denotes pepper plants and spices, suggesting an occupation (pepper farmer) or a location (where pepper grows) as the origin of the name. Furthermore, archival inquisition files in Lisbon, Portugal, affirm that many Sephardic Jewish (New Christian) Pimentels, were prominent spice traders during Portugal's monopoly of the spice trade, throughout the 16th & early 17th centuries.

Individuals with this surname

History

Ancestry of the surname has been linked to Petrus Martini Pimentel (b. 1252) and João Afonso Pimentel, a Portuguese knight. The name spread throughout the Portuguese Empire and the subsequent Portuguese diaspora. The name is associated with the history of the Jews in Portugal, specifically the conversos to Catholicism during the Portuguese Inquisition. Tribunal records now maintained in the Torre do Tombo National Archive contain hundreds of examples of New Christian Pimentels accused of heresy and relapsing into Judaism. Pimentels of Sephardic origin have been in Spain, Portugal (Azores, Madeira), Amsterdam, Hamburg, Paris, London, Sardinia, Sicily, Livorno (Italy), Brazil, Cape Verde, Angola, New England, Florida, California USA, the Balkans, the Netherlands Antilles, Guyana, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, Jamaica, Goa India, the Philippines, New York and Latin America.