2000
#9,410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,171
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.18
Rare Last name
Adorno
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who raised or sold birds, derived from "adorno" meaning "bird keeper."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,401 Americans carry the last name Adorno. That puts it at #8,268 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,881 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Adorno 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
4.4K
1 in 77,881
Census rank
#8,268
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,838 bearers of the surname Adorno in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8268th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Adorno, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.7%. The next largest groups are White (12.6%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Adorno
The surname Adorno has its roots in Italy, originating during the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "adorno," which means "adorned" or "decorated." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who was particularly well-dressed or adorned with finery.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Adorno can be found in a 12th-century Genoese manuscript, which mentions a family bearing this surname. The Adorno family rose to prominence in the Republic of Genoa during the 13th and 14th centuries, playing a significant role in the city's political and economic affairs.
Notable members of the Adorno family include Gabriele Adorno (1320-1397), a Genoese statesman and Doge of Genoa from 1363 to 1370. Another prominent figure was Prospero Adorno (1457-1459), who also served as Doge of Genoa during the mid-15th century.
The name Adorno can be traced to various locations in Italy, particularly in the regions of Liguria and Piedmont. One such place is the town of Adorno, located in the province of Alessandria, Piedmont. This town likely derived its name from the surname, rather than the other way around.
Beyond Italy, the surname Adorno has also been found in other parts of Europe, including Spain and France, where it may have been adopted by families with Italian roots or connections.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the surname Adorno, including:
1. Theodor W. Adorno (1903-1969), a German philosopher, sociologist, and composer, known for his influential works in critical theory and aesthetics.
2. Francisco Adorno (1533-1587), a Spanish Jesuit missionary and explorer who helped establish the first permanent European settlement in Zambia.
3. Rolena Adorno (born 1942), an American scholar and professor of colonial Latin American literature at Yale University.
4. Giovanni Battista Adorno (1556-1638), an Italian painter and etcher active in Genoa during the Baroque period.
5. Girolamo Adorno (1424-1488), a Genoese statesman and Doge of Genoa from 1487 to 1488.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Adorno
Among Census respondents with the surname Adorno, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.7%. The next largest groups are White (12.6%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Adorno 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 Adorno surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino84.7% · 3,250
- White12.6% · 483
- Black or African American1.8% · 71
- Two or more races0.4% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Adorno
Adorno 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
#8,686
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,783
+612 bearers (+19.3%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Up 724 places
2020
#8,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,838
+55 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Up 418 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,410 | 3,171 | 1.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,686 | 3,783 | 1.28 | +612 bearers (+19.3%) | Up 724 places |
| 2020 | #8,268 | 3,838 | 1.28 | +55 bearers (+1.5%) | Up 418 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 Adorno 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 | #8,686 | #8,268 | 4.8% |
| Count | 3,783 | 3,838 | 1.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.28 | 1.28 | 0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Adorno bearers went from 3,783 to 3,838 (+1.5% change). The surname moved up 418 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,686 to #8,268.
FAQ
Adorno surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Adorno?
Name Census estimates that about 4,401 living Americans carry the surname Adorno. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,881 residents.
How common is Adorno?
Adorno ranks #8,268 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.28 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 3,838 people with the surname Adorno. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,401), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.28 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 Adorno.
Has Adorno become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Adorno went from 3,783 recorded bearers to 3,838. That is an increase of 55 (+1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,686 to #8,268.
What does the Census say about the background of Adorno?
Among Census respondents with the surname Adorno, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.7%. The next largest groups are White (12.6%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Adorno in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (3,250 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Adorno appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (84.7%), White (12.6%), Black (1.8%). 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 Adorno (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 Adorno mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who raised or sold birds, derived from "adorno" meaning "bird keeper." 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 Adorno (1.28 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 people have the last name Adorno?
See how many Americans have the surname Adorno on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.