Capitanio last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Capitanio

An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "capitano" meaning "captain" or "leader".

Capitanio, 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 Capitanio surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Capitanio in America

Capitanio is the 128249th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Capitanio surname appeared 133 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 Capitanio.

We can also compare 2010 data for Capitanio 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 128249 124109 3.28%
Count 133 128 3.83%
Proportion per 100k 0.05 0.05 0.00%

The history of the last name Capitanio

The surname Capitanio originated in Italy during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Italian word "capitano," which means "captain" or "leader." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely military leaders or commanders.

The name can be traced back to various regions of Italy, including Lombardy, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna. Some variations in spelling include Capitani, Capitano, and Capitanio.

Historical records indicate that the Capitanio family played a prominent role in the city of Brescia, located in the region of Lombardy. One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Giacomo Capitanio, who lived in the 13th century and served as a captain in the Brescian military forces.

Another notable figure was Pietro Capitanio, born in Verona in 1472, who became a renowned humanist scholar and philosopher. His works on rhetoric and literature were widely acclaimed during the Renaissance period.

In the 16th century, Girolamo Capitanio, a native of Bergamo, gained recognition as a skilled architect. He was responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in various cities across northern Italy.

During the 17th century, the Capitanio family expanded their influence to other parts of Europe. One notable member was Francesco Capitanio, born in Brescia in 1615, who served as a military captain in the Spanish Netherlands and later became a successful merchant in Antwerp.

In the 19th century, Giuseppe Capitanio, born in Padua in 1813, made significant contributions to the field of medicine. He was a pioneering physician who conducted groundbreaking research on the nervous system and published several influential works on neurology.

Throughout history, the surname Capitanio has been associated with various professions, from military leaders and scholars to architects and medical professionals. While the name's origins can be traced back to medieval Italy, its bearers have left their mark across multiple regions and disciplines over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Capitanio

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

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 Capitanio was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 87.22% 116
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 7.52% 10

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 87.22% 94.53% -8.04%
Black 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Hispanic 7.52% 4.69% 46.36%

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

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

Reference this page

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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!

"Capitanio last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 2, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/capitanio-surname-popularity/.

"Capitanio last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/capitanio-surname-popularity/. Accessed 2 July, 2025

Capitanio last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/capitanio-surname-popularity/.

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