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

Amaro, 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 Amaro surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Amaro in America

Amaro is the 3042nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Amaro surname appeared 11,769 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Amaro.

We can also compare 2010 data for Amaro 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.

The history of the last name Amaro

The surname Amaro has its roots in the Italian language, originating from the region of Calabria in southern Italy during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "amarus," meaning bitter or sour, and was likely a descriptive name given to someone with a particularly bitter or sour disposition.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Amaro can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Benedictine monastery of Cava de' Tirreni in Campania, dating back to the 11th century. This suggests that the name was in use in southern Italy during that time.

In the 14th century, the name appears in the historical records of the city of Naples, where a nobleman named Guglielmo Amaro (William Amaro) is mentioned as a prominent figure in the city's government. This indicates that the surname had gained some status and recognition in the region by that period.

During the Renaissance, the Amaro family produced several notable figures, including the painter and architect Girolamo Amaro (1501-1589), who was renowned for his work on various churches and palaces in Naples and its surrounding areas.

Another notable individual was the Italian physician and botanist Giovanni Battista Amaro (1555-1637), who is credited with introducing several new plant species to Europe from his travels in the Americas and Asia.

In the 18th century, the Amaro family gained further prominence with the birth of Antonio Amaro (1718-1793), a celebrated composer and musician who served as the maestro di cappella (chapel master) at the famous Basilica of Santa Maria della Steccata in Parma.

Other notable individuals with the surname Amaro include the Italian writer and journalist Eugenio Amaro (1865-1939), who was known for his work on social and political issues, and the Mexican artist and muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros (1896-1974), whose full name was José David Alfaro Siqueiros.

While the name Amaro has its origins in southern Italy, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including Spain, Portugal, and Latin America, likely due to migration and exploration during the colonial era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Amaro

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

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 Amaro was:

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 Amaro has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Amaro was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!