Pentecost Surname: Origin, Meaning & Coat of Arms

The Pentecost last name has English roots. The usual explanation, from Elsdon Smith, is “descendant of Pentecost (fiftieth), a name given to children born on that day”.

Where the name comes from

It is a patronymic: it named a person after a father or forebear.

About 2,489 people in the United States were recorded as Pentecost in 2010, placing it 12,473 on the national list. That is enough to place it in the top 25,000 American surnames.

Heraldry and the Pentecost name

Heraldry is personal. Arms recorded for a Pentecost family belonged to that family, and other bearers of the name may have no link to them.

Want more than a summary? See the Pentecost family name pack.