2000
#9,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,294
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.22
Rare Last name
Catania
A locational surname referring to someone from the city of Catania in Sicily, Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,612 Americans carry the last name Catania. That puts it at #9,815 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,893 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Catania 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 Catania with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 94,893
Census rank
#9,815
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,150 bearers of the surname Catania in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9815th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Catania, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Catania
The surname Catania is of Italian origin, originating from the city of Catania in Sicily. The name can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when it was common practice to derive surnames from the place of origin or residence.
Catania is a city located on the eastern coast of Sicily, at the foot of Mount Etna. The name is derived from the Greek word "Katane," which means "groan" or "vent," referring to the volcanic activity of Mount Etna. The city was founded by Greek colonists in the 8th century BC, and it has a rich history dating back to ancient times.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Catania can be found in the Sicilian Vespers, a rebellion against the Angevin French rule in 1282. During this event, several families with the surname Catania were involved in the uprising, indicating their presence in the region at that time.
In the 14th century, there are records of a notable family with the surname Catania in Catania. This family was involved in the local governance and held influential positions within the city. One prominent member was Giovanni Catania, who served as a magistrate in the late 1300s.
Another historical figure with the surname Catania was Francesco Catania, a Sicilian painter who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was known for his religious works and painted several altarpieces for churches in Catania and surrounding areas.
In the 18th century, Vincenzo Catania was a renowned architect from Catania. He designed several notable buildings in the city, including the Palazzo Biscari, which is considered a masterpiece of Sicilian Baroque architecture.
Guglielmo Catania was a Sicilian composer and organist who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He composed numerous sacred works and was highly regarded for his skill as an organist.
Giovanni Battista Catania was a Sicilian mathematician and astronomer who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and was a member of the Accademia dei Lincei, a prestigious scientific academy in Rome.
Throughout its history, the surname Catania has been associated with the city of Catania and its surrounding areas in Sicily. While the name has spread to other regions, its origins can be traced back to this ancient city and its rich cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Catania
Among Census respondents with the surname Catania, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Catania 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 Catania surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 2,807
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 222
- Two or more races2.9% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 24
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Catania
Catania 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
#9,527
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,412
+118 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 412 places
2020
#9,815
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,150
-262 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 288 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,115 | 3,294 | 1.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,527 | 3,412 | 1.16 | +118 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 412 places |
| 2020 | #9,815 | 3,150 | 1.05 | -262 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 288 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 Catania 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 | #9,527 | #9,815 | -3.0% |
| Count | 3,412 | 3,150 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.16 | 1.05 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Catania bearers went from 3,412 to 3,150 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 288 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,527 to #9,815.
FAQ
Catania surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Catania?
Name Census estimates that about 3,612 living Americans carry the surname Catania. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,893 residents.
How common is Catania?
Catania ranks #9,815 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,150 people with the surname Catania. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,612), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Catania.
Has Catania become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Catania went from 3,412 recorded bearers to 3,150. That is a decrease of 262 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,527 to #9,815.
What does the Census say about the background of Catania?
Among Census respondents with the surname Catania, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) 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 Catania in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (2,807 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Catania appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Hispanic (7.0%), 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 Catania (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 Catania mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from the city of Catania in Sicily, 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 Catania (1.05 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 Catania?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Catania on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.