2000
#119,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Caramanna
An Italian surname derived from the Greek word "keramis," meaning a potter or maker of ceramic objects.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Caramanna. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caramanna 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Caramanna in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caramanna, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caramanna
The surname Caramanna has its origins in Sicily, Italy, with records dating back to the 11th century. It is believed to be derived from the Greek word "karambanos," meaning "amber-colored gem." This suggests that the name may have originally been associated with individuals involved in the amber trade or those who worked with amber-colored materials.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Caramanna can be found in the Sicilian town of Sciacca, where a document from 1135 mentions a landowner named Guglielmo Caramanna. This indicates that the name had already gained prominence in the region during the Norman period.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the records of the Benedictine monastery in Monreale, a town near Palermo. A monk named Vincenzo Caramanna is mentioned as a scribe and illuminator, renowned for his intricate manuscript illustrations.
During the Renaissance period, the Caramanna family established itself as a prominent noble lineage in Sicily. Niccolò Caramanna (1472-1541), a notable jurist and diplomat, served as an advisor to the Spanish viceroy and was instrumental in shaping legal policies in the region.
In the 17th century, the name Caramanna was associated with the town of Cammarata, located in the province of Agrigento. The town's name is derived from the Arabic word "qaramu'r-rattan," meaning "the town of the pomegranate," suggesting a possible connection between the Caramanna surname and the cultivation of pomegranates in the area.
Another notable figure was Giovanni Caramanna (1670-1742), a Sicilian architect and engineer who contributed to the design and construction of several churches and palaces in Palermo and its surroundings.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe Caramanna (1815-1888) gained recognition as a prominent scholar and linguist. He dedicated his life to studying and preserving the Sicilian language and published numerous works on Sicilian grammar and literature.
Throughout history, the Caramanna surname has also been associated with various artistic and literary figures, such as the poet Vincenzo Caramanna (1808-1873) and the painter Salvatore Caramanna (1851-1916), both of whom were born in Sicily and contributed to the cultural heritage of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caramanna
Among Census respondents with the surname Caramanna, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Caramanna 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 Caramanna surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caramanna
Caramanna 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
#126,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
+1 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 7,121 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-25 bearers (-18.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,681 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #119,644 | 134 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,765 | 135 | 0.05 | +1 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 7,121 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -25 bearers (-18.5%) | Down 22,681 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 Caramanna 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 | #126,765 | #149,446 | -17.9% |
| Count | 135 | 110 | -18.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -26.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caramanna bearers went from 135 to 110 (-18.5% change). The surname moved down 22,681 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,765 to #149,446.
FAQ
Caramanna surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caramanna?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Caramanna. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Caramanna?
Caramanna ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Caramanna. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Caramanna.
Has Caramanna become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caramanna went from 135 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 25 (-18.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,765 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Caramanna?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caramanna, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Caramanna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caramanna appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Hispanic (1.8%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Caramanna (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 Caramanna mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Greek word "keramis," meaning a potter or maker of ceramic objects. 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 Caramanna (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 share the surname Caramanna?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.