2000
#14,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,857
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Brocato
A surname of Italian origin meaning "pine cone" or "pinecone".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,167 Americans carry the last name Brocato. That puts it at #15,010 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 158,170 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brocato 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
2.2K
1 in 158,170
Census rank
#15,010
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,890 bearers of the surname Brocato in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15010th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brocato, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brocato
The surname Brocato originated in Italy, specifically in the southern regions of Sicily and Calabria. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "brocca," which means "jug" or "pitcher." This suggests that the name may have originated as an occupational surname for someone who made or sold jugs or pottery.
In historical records, the earliest known mention of the name Brocato dates back to the 15th century in Sicily. It appears in various documents and manuscripts from that time period, including tax records and church registries.
One notable early reference to the name Brocato can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico di Sicilia," a collection of historical documents from Sicily, which includes a record from 1472 mentioning a certain "Nicolao Brocato."
The name Brocato has also been linked to several place names in Sicily, such as the town of Brocato near Ragusa, which may have been named after an early bearer of the surname or vice versa.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname Brocato. One of the earliest was Pietro Brocato (1470-1545), a Sicilian artist known for his religious paintings and frescoes in churches across Sicily.
Another notable figure was Vincenzo Brocato (1588-1660), a Sicilian jurist and legal scholar who authored several treatises on law and jurisprudence during the 17th century.
In the 19th century, Gaetano Brocato (1819-1893) was a prominent Italian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Italian Parliament.
The name Brocato also has connections to the literary world, with the Italian novelist and playwright Giuseppe Brocato (1832-1908) being one of the most famous bearers of the name.
Additionally, Domenico Brocato (1882-1952) was a renowned Italian sculptor and artist who specialized in creating religious statues and monuments, many of which can be found in churches throughout Italy.
While the surname Brocato originated in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly in areas with significant Italian immigration, such as the Americas and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brocato
Among Census respondents with the surname Brocato, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Brocato 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 Brocato surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 1,705
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 112
- Two or more races2.6% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
- Black or African American0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brocato
Brocato 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
#15,434
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,898
+41 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 754 places
2020
#15,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,890
-8 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 424 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,680 | 1,857 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,434 | 1,898 | 0.64 | +41 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 754 places |
| 2020 | #15,010 | 1,890 | 0.63 | -8 bearers (-0.4%) | Up 424 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 Brocato 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 | #15,434 | #15,010 | 2.7% |
| Count | 1,898 | 1,890 | -0.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.63 | -1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brocato bearers went from 1,898 to 1,890 (-0.4% change). The surname moved up 424 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,434 to #15,010.
FAQ
Brocato surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brocato?
Name Census estimates that about 2,167 living Americans carry the surname Brocato. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 158,170 residents.
How common is Brocato?
Brocato ranks #15,010 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,890 people with the surname Brocato. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,167), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Brocato.
Has Brocato become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brocato went from 1,898 recorded bearers to 1,890. That is a decrease of 8 (-0.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,434 to #15,010.
What does the Census say about the background of Brocato?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brocato, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Brocato in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (1,705 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brocato appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (5.9%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Brocato (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 Brocato mean?
A surname of Italian origin meaning "pine cone" or "pinecone". 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 Brocato (0.63 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 share the surname Brocato?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.