Bellisario last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Bellisario

An Italian surname meaning "beautiful", derived from the Italian word "bello".

Bellisario, 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 Bellisario surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bellisario in America

Bellisario is the 48628th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bellisario surname appeared 434 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 Bellisario.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bellisario 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank4862849366-1.51%
Count4344008.15%
Proportion per 100k0.150.150.00%

The history of the last name Bellisario

The surname Bellisario originated in Italy, specifically in the region of Calabria during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "bellus," meaning beautiful or handsome, and the suffix "-ario," indicating an occupation or place of origin. The name likely referred to someone who came from a place known for its beauty or someone who was considered handsome.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Bellisario can be found in the 14th-century Neapolitan records, where a certain Giovanni Bellisario was listed as a landowner in the town of Cosenza. The name was also present in other parts of southern Italy, such as Sicily, where it appeared in various forms like Bellisari and Bellissario.

In the 15th century, the Bellisario family was known to have held positions of importance in the city of Palermo, Sicily. A notable member was Antonio Bellisario (1432-1498), a prominent lawyer and judge who served as the legal advisor to the Viceroy of Sicily.

The name also found its way to other parts of Europe, including Spain, where it was likely introduced by Italian immigrants or settlers. In the 16th century, a notable figure was Juan Bellisario (1520-1592), a Spanish military commander who fought in the Eighty Years' War against the Dutch.

In the 17th century, the name appeared in various Italian literary works, such as the plays of Carlo Goldoni, where a character named Bellisario was featured. Around this time, the name also spread to other parts of Europe, including France and England, where it was sometimes anglicized as "Bellissary."

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Bellisario was Flavius Belisarius (505-565), a Byzantine general who played a crucial role in the wars against the Persians and the reconquest of the Western Roman Empire under the reign of Justinian I.

Other notable individuals with the surname include:

  1. Rino Bellisario (1920-2008), an Italian film director and screenwriter.
  2. Alessandro Bellisario (1895-1977), an Italian politician and trade unionist.
  3. Donald P. Bellisario (born 1935), an American screenwriter and television producer known for creating shows like "Magnum, P.I." and "NCIS."
  4. Troian Bellisario (born 1985), an American actress known for her role in the TV series "Pretty Little Liars."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bellisario

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

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 Bellisario was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only94.93%412
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races1.15%5
Hispanic Origin2.76%12

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

20102000Change (%)
White94.93%95.25%-0.34%
Black(S)%(S)%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander(S)%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0.00%0.00%
Two or More Races1.15%2.50%-73.97%
Hispanic2.76%1.75%44.79%

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

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

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