2000
#46,614
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 430
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Carlisi
A surname of Italian origin, possibly derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 428 Americans carry the last name Carlisi. That puts it at #58,695 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 800,828 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carlisi 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
428
1 in 800,828
Census rank
#58,695
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
373
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 373 bearers of the surname Carlisi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 58695th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carlisi, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carlisi
The surname Carlisi originated in Italy, tracing its roots back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "carlista," which means "supporter of Charles," referring to the French king Charles I of Anjou, who ruled over parts of southern Italy during that time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Carlisi can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Barese, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bari, dating back to the year 1277. The name appears as "Carlisio," which is thought to be an early spelling variation.
Throughout the centuries, the Carlisi name has been associated with various notable individuals. One such person was Pietro Carlisi, a renowned painter from the city of Palermo, who lived between 1592 and 1647. His works can be found in several churches and museums throughout Sicily.
In the 18th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Giuseppe Carlisi, a Sicilian philosopher and writer known for his contributions to the Enlightenment movement. He was born in 1720 and passed away in 1786.
Another noteworthy figure was Antonio Carlisi, a 19th-century playwright and poet from the town of Catania. Born in 1818, he is best remembered for his plays that explored the cultural nuances of Sicilian life.
The Carlisi name also had ties to the legal profession, with Francesco Carlisi, a prominent lawyer and judge who lived from 1835 to 1905. He served as a judge in the Supreme Court of Italy and was highly respected for his legal expertise.
Lastly, one cannot overlook the contribution of Raffaele Carlisi, a 20th-century artist and sculptor from the city of Messina. Born in 1910, his works were exhibited in various galleries across Italy and received critical acclaim for their unique style and attention to detail.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carlisi
Among Census respondents with the surname Carlisi, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Carlisi 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 Carlisi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 349
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 17
- Two or more races1.3% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carlisi
Carlisi 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
#51,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 404
-26 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 4,898 places
2020
#58,695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 373
-31 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 7,183 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #46,614 | 430 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #51,512 | 404 | 0.14 | -26 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 4,898 places |
| 2020 | #58,695 | 373 | 0.12 | -31 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 7,183 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 Carlisi 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 | #51,512 | #58,695 | -13.9% |
| Count | 404 | 373 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.12 | -10.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carlisi bearers went from 404 to 373 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 7,183 positions in the national ranking, going from #51,512 to #58,695.
FAQ
Carlisi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carlisi?
Name Census estimates that about 428 living Americans carry the surname Carlisi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 800,828 residents.
How common is Carlisi?
Carlisi ranks #58,695 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 373 people with the surname Carlisi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (428), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Carlisi.
Has Carlisi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carlisi went from 404 recorded bearers to 373. That is a decrease of 31 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #51,512 to #58,695.
What does the Census say about the background of Carlisi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carlisi, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Carlisi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (349 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carlisi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Carlisi (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 Carlisi mean?
A surname of Italian origin, possibly derived from a place name. 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 Carlisi (0.12 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 Carlisi?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Carlisi, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.