2000
#3,382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,671
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.59
Uncommon Last name
Catalano
An Italian surname likely derived from the name of the island of Catalonia in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,104 Americans carry the last name Catalano. That puts it at #3,909 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,923 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Catalano 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 Catalano with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,923
Census rank
#3,909
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,811 bearers of the surname Catalano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3909th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Catalano, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Catalano
The surname Catalano originated in Sicily, Italy, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Greek word "Katolikos," which means "universal" or "general." The name likely referred to someone who held a high-ranking position or had a broad scope of authority.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Catalano can be found in the Sicilian Rolls of 1282, where a certain Guglielmo Catalano is mentioned. This document was a census compiled by the Angevin rulers of Sicily at the time.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Matteo Catalano was a prominent jurist and legal scholar in Palermo. He authored several treatises on Sicilian law and held influential positions within the local government.
During the Renaissance period, the name Catalano appeared in various historical records across Italy. For instance, Antonio Catalano (1498-1570) was a celebrated architect from Messina who designed several churches and palaces in Sicily.
Another famous bearer of the name was Giovanni Catalano (1560-1630), a Sicilian painter known for his religious works and portraits. He was commissioned by various noble families and churches throughout the island.
In the 18th century, Domenico Catalano (1718-1791) was a prominent historian and writer from Palermo. He authored several books on the history of Sicily, including "De Ecclesia Firmana" and "De Antiquo Ritu Ecclesiae Panormitanae."
The name Catalano has also been associated with various place names in Sicily, such as Catalano Vecchio and Catalano Nuova, which were towns located in the province of Messina. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, indicating areas where families with the Catalano name settled or held land.
Throughout history, the surname Catalano has been carried by numerous individuals from different walks of life, including scholars, artists, architects, and writers. While its origins can be traced back to Sicily, the name has since spread to other parts of Italy and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Catalano
Among Census respondents with the surname Catalano, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Catalano 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 Catalano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 7,872
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 543
- Two or more races2.9% · 259
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 74
- Black or African American0.5% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Catalano
Catalano 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
#3,574
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,973
+302 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 3.38
Rank movement Down 192 places
2020
#3,909
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,811
-1,162 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 2.95
Rank movement Down 335 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,382 | 9,671 | 3.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,574 | 9,973 | 3.38 | +302 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 192 places |
| 2020 | #3,909 | 8,811 | 2.95 | -1,162 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 335 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 Catalano 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 | #3,574 | #3,909 | -9.4% |
| Count | 9,973 | 8,811 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.38 | 2.95 | -12.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Catalano bearers went from 9,973 to 8,811 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 335 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,574 to #3,909.
FAQ
Catalano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Catalano?
Name Census estimates that about 10,104 living Americans carry the surname Catalano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,923 residents.
How common is Catalano?
Catalano ranks #3,909 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.95 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 8,811 people with the surname Catalano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,104), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.95 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 Catalano.
Has Catalano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Catalano went from 9,973 recorded bearers to 8,811. That is a decrease of 1,162 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,574 to #3,909.
What does the Census say about the background of Catalano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Catalano, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Catalano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (7,872 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Catalano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Hispanic (6.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Catalano (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 Catalano mean?
An Italian surname likely derived from the name of the island of Catalonia in Spain. 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 Catalano (2.95 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 common is the surname Catalano?
See how many people have the last name Catalano on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.