2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Billante
An Italian surname derived from "brillante" meaning shiny or brilliant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Billante. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Billante 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Billante in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Billante, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Billante
The surname Billante has its origins in Italy, specifically in the regions of Sicily and Calabria. It likely emerged during the 12th or 13th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Italian word "billante," which means "glittering" or "shining." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone with bright or attractive features.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Billante can be found in a document from the city of Palermo, Sicily, dated around 1320. The document mentions a certain Giuseppe Billante, who was a merchant in the city. Another early reference is from a manuscript in the archives of the town of Reggio Calabria, which mentions a Francesco Billante, a landowner, in the year 1412.
During the 15th century, the name Billante appears to have spread to other parts of Italy, including the regions of Campania and Lazio. In the town of Sorrento, near Naples, records show a family called Billante who were involved in the production of olive oil and wine.
One notable individual with the surname Billante was Antonio Billante, a painter who lived in Naples in the late 16th century. He was known for his religious works and frescoes in several churches in the city. Another famous bearer of the name was Girolamo Billante, a philosopher and scholar who taught at the University of Padua in the early 17th century.
In the 19th century, a Sicilian lawyer and politician named Vincenzo Billante played a significant role in the Risorgimento, the movement for Italian unification. He was born in Palermo in 1820 and actively campaigned for the overthrow of the Bourbon monarchy in Sicily.
Another individual of note was Giuseppe Billante, a painter and sculptor from Reggio Calabria who lived in the late 19th century. His works can be found in several churches and museums in Calabria.
While the name Billante is still found in Italy, particularly in Sicily and Calabria, it is relatively uncommon compared to other Italian surnames. However, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of Italian surname history, reflecting the country's diverse cultural and linguistic heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Billante
Among Census respondents with the surname Billante, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Billante 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 Billante surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 118
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Billante
Billante 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+14 bearers (+13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,619 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,821 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.2%) | Up 4,619 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 2,821 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 Billante 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 | #139,228 | #142,049 | -2.0% |
| Count | 120 | 120 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Billante bearers went from 120 to 120 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 2,821 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #142,049.
FAQ
Billante surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Billante?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Billante. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Billante?
Billante ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Billante. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Billante.
Has Billante become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Billante went from 120 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Billante?
Among Census respondents with the surname Billante, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Billante in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (118 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Billante appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.3%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Billante (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 Billante mean?
An Italian surname derived from "brillante" meaning shiny or brilliant. 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 Billante (0.04 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 are called Billante?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Billante? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.