2000
#3,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,537
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.16
Rare Last name
Calabrese
A surname indicating a person from, or with ancestors from, the Calabria region of southern Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,353 Americans carry the last name Calabrese. That puts it at #4,209 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,646 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Calabrese 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Calabrese with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.4K
1 in 36,646
Census rank
#4,209
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,156 bearers of the surname Calabrese in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4209th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Calabrese, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Calabrese
The surname Calabrese originated in Italy and is derived from the Italian word "Calàbria," which refers to the region of Calabria in southern Italy. This region was named after the ancient Bruttii tribe who inhabited the area in ancient times.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Calabrese can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of southern Italy, particularly in the provinces of Cosenza, Reggio Calabria, and Catanzaro. It was initially used as a locational surname to identify individuals who hailed from or had some connection to the region of Calabria.
One of the earliest documented references to the surname Calabrese can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Regni Siciliae," a collection of historical documents from the Kingdom of Sicily, which included parts of southern Italy. In this collection, dating back to the 13th century, several individuals with the surname Calabrese are mentioned in various legal and official records.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Calabrese. One such individual was Girolamo Calabrese (c. 1520-1595), an Italian Renaissance painter and sculptor from the town of Galatina in the province of Lecce, Apulia. His works can be found in various churches and museums throughout southern Italy.
Another prominent figure was Vincenzo Calabrese (1903-1983), an Italian-American mobster and member of the New York City-based Genovese crime family. He was a influential figure in the Italian-American criminal underworld during the mid-20th century.
In the literary realm, Raffaele Calabrese (1889-1974) was an Italian writer and poet known for his works exploring the culture and traditions of Calabria. His poetry collection "Il canto della Calabria" (The Song of Calabria) is particularly notable.
Pasquale Calabrese (1856-1917) was an Italian sculptor and painter from the town of Vibo Valentia in Calabria. He is renowned for his sculptures and bas-reliefs adorning various public buildings and monuments in Italy.
Additionally, the surname Calabrese has been associated with various place names and localities throughout southern Italy, such as Calabritto, a town in the province of Avellino, Campania, and Calascio, a village in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, which share linguistic roots with the word "Calabria."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Calabrese
Among Census respondents with the surname Calabrese, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Calabrese 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 Calabrese surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 7,489
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 352
- Two or more races2.4% · 198
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 59
- Black or African American0.6% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Calabrese
Calabrese 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
#4,127
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,599
+62 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 2.92
Rank movement Down 311 places
2020
#4,209
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,156
-443 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 2.73
Rank movement Down 82 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,816 | 8,537 | 3.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,127 | 8,599 | 2.92 | +62 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 311 places |
| 2020 | #4,209 | 8,156 | 2.73 | -443 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 82 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 Calabrese 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 | #4,127 | #4,209 | -2.0% |
| Count | 8,599 | 8,156 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.92 | 2.73 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Calabrese bearers went from 8,599 to 8,156 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 82 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,127 to #4,209.
FAQ
Calabrese surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Calabrese?
Name Census estimates that about 9,353 living Americans carry the surname Calabrese. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,646 residents.
How common is Calabrese?
Calabrese ranks #4,209 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,156 people with the surname Calabrese. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,353), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Calabrese.
Has Calabrese become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Calabrese went from 8,599 recorded bearers to 8,156. That is a decrease of 443 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,127 to #4,209.
What does the Census say about the background of Calabrese?
Among Census respondents with the surname Calabrese, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Calabrese in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (7,489 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Calabrese appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Calabrese (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 Calabrese mean?
A surname indicating a person from, or with ancestors from, the Calabria region of southern Italy. 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 Calabrese (2.73 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 Calabrese?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.