Altomari last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Altomari is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Altomari.

Meaning of Altomari

An Italian surname derived from the location or toponym "Alto Mare" meaning "high sea".

Altomari, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Altomari surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Altomari in America

Altomari is the 79338th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Altomari surname appeared 240 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Altomari.

We can also compare 2010 data for Altomari to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 79338 69201 13.65%
Count 240 265 -9.90%
Proportion per 100k 0.08 0.10 -22.22%

The history of the last name Altomari

The surname Altomari originated in Italy, specifically in the southern region of Calabria. Its roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages, possibly as early as the 11th century. The name is believed to derive from the Italian words "alto" meaning high or tall, and "mare" meaning sea, suggesting a connection to a high or elevated place near the sea.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Altomari surname can be found in the "Catalogus Baronum," a medieval manuscript compiled in 1168 that documented the feudal holdings of Norman nobles in the Kingdom of Sicily. This document mentions an individual named Robertus de Altomari, who held lands in the region of Calabria.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Altomari family gained prominence in the city of Reggio Calabria, where they held positions of power and influence. Historical records from this period mention several members of the Altomari family, such as Guglielmo Altomari, a prominent nobleman and military leader who fought in the Wars of the Sicilian Vespers against the French in the late 13th century.

In the 15th century, the Altomari family expanded their influence to the nearby island of Sicily, where they established a branch of the family in the town of Messina. One notable figure from this era was Giovanni Altomari, a renowned scholar and humanist who lived from 1415 to 1480 and was known for his contributions to the study of Greek literature.

The 16th century saw the rise of another prominent Altomari, Francesco Altomari, who was born in Reggio Calabria in 1520. He served as a diplomat and ambassador for the Kingdom of Naples and was involved in various diplomatic missions across Europe.

In the 17th century, the Altomari family continued to play a significant role in the cultural and political life of southern Italy. One influential figure was Domenico Altomari, a lawyer and writer who lived from 1628 to 1705 and authored several legal treatises that were widely referenced at the time.

As the Altomari surname spread throughout Italy and beyond, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as Altomari, Altomari, Altomaro, and Altomarro. Despite these variations, the name's connection to its geographical origins in the coastal regions of southern Italy remained strong.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Altomari

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Altomari.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Altomari was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 91.67% 220
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 7.50% 18

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Altomari has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 91.67% 93.21% -1.67%
Black 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 7.50% 6.42% 15.52%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Altomari was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Altomari, please contact us.

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