2000
#17,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,469
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.54
Rare Last name
Catano
A surname likely derived from the Italian town of Catania.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,219 Americans carry the last name Catano. That puts it at #14,732 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 154,463 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Catano 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
2.2K
1 in 154,463
Census rank
#14,732
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,935 bearers of the surname Catano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14732nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Catano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.9%. The next largest groups are White (9.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Catano
The surname Catano is of Italian origin, tracing its roots back to the 15th century in the region of Sicily. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "catena," meaning "chain" or "shackle," which could suggest an ancestral connection to metalworkers, prisoners, or even soldiers who wore chains as part of their armor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Catano name can be found in a Sicilian census document from 1487, where a family bearing this surname is listed as residing in the town of Palermo. This document provides valuable insight into the historical presence of the Catano lineage in Sicily during the Renaissance era.
In the 16th century, the name Catano began to appear in various church records and legal documents across different regions of Italy, including Calabria and Campania. This suggests that families with this surname had started to migrate and establish themselves in other parts of the country.
A notable figure bearing the Catano surname was Vincenzo Catano, a 17th-century Italian painter renowned for his religious and allegorical works. Born in Naples in 1635, Catano's artwork adorned numerous churches and palaces throughout the Italian peninsula, with his masterpieces still being displayed in renowned galleries today.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Giuseppe Catano, a 19th-century Sicilian politician and lawyer. Born in 1824 in Palermo, he played a significant role in the unification of Italy and served as a member of the Italian Parliament from 1861 until his death in 1892.
In the early 20th century, the Catano name gained recognition in the literary world with the author and poet Salvatore Catano. Born in 1885 in Catania, Sicily, Catano's works explored themes of love, nature, and the Sicilian way of life, earning him critical acclaim and a place in Italy's literary canon.
The surname Catano has also been associated with various place names throughout Italy. For instance, the town of Catano in the province of Reggio Calabria is believed to have derived its name from the Catano family, who may have held significant influence or ownership in the area during the Middle Ages.
While the Catano surname may have evolved from its original Latin roots, it has maintained a strong presence throughout Italian history, with individuals bearing this name leaving their mark across various fields, from art and literature to politics and law.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Catano
Among Census respondents with the surname Catano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.9%. The next largest groups are White (9.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Catano 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 Catano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.9% · 1,701
- White9.8% · 189
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
- Two or more races0.7% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 12
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Catano
Catano 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
#15,322
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,915
+446 bearers (+30.4%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 2,297 places
2020
#14,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,935
+20 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 590 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,619 | 1,469 | 0.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,322 | 1,915 | 0.65 | +446 bearers (+30.4%) | Up 2,297 places |
| 2020 | #14,732 | 1,935 | 0.65 | +20 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 590 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 Catano 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 | #15,322 | #14,732 | 3.9% |
| Count | 1,915 | 1,935 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.65 | -0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Catano bearers went from 1,915 to 1,935 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 590 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,322 to #14,732.
FAQ
Catano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Catano?
Name Census estimates that about 2,219 living Americans carry the surname Catano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 154,463 residents.
How common is Catano?
Catano ranks #14,732 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,935 people with the surname Catano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,219), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Catano.
Has Catano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Catano went from 1,915 recorded bearers to 1,935. That is an increase of 20 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,322 to #14,732.
What does the Census say about the background of Catano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Catano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.9%. The next largest groups are White (9.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Catano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (1,701 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Catano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.9%), White (9.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%). 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 Catano (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 Catano mean?
A surname likely derived from the Italian town of Catania. 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 Catano (0.65 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 Americans have the surname Catano?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.