2000
#10,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,857
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Catanzaro
Derived from the Italian city of Catanzaro, likely referring to a person who originated from that location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,985 Americans carry the last name Catanzaro. That puts it at #11,553 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,826 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Catanzaro 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
3.0K
1 in 114,826
Census rank
#11,553
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,603 bearers of the surname Catanzaro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11553rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Catanzaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Catanzaro
The surname Catanzaro originated from the southern Italian region of Calabria. It derives from the name of the city of Catanzaro, which dates back to the 10th century when it was founded by Greek settlers. The name Catanzaro is believed to come from the ancient Greek words "katà" meaning "below" and "tzàri" meaning "rock", referring to the city's location below a rocky hill.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Catanzaro can be found in medieval documents from the 13th century, when the city was under the rule of the Kingdom of Naples. During this time, the name was often spelled as "Catançaro" or "Catanzario".
In the 14th century, a nobleman named Gian Battista Catanzaro was mentioned in the records of the Angevin court in Naples. He was a prominent figure in the city's administration and played a role in the defense against the invading armies of the Aragonese.
Another notable figure with the surname Catanzaro was Tommaso Catanzaro, a Renaissance-era painter and architect who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He is known for his work on several churches and palaces in Calabria, including the Cathedral of Catanzaro.
In the 17th century, a Jesuit priest named Girolamo Catanzaro was born in the city of Catanzaro. He later became a renowned scholar and theologian, publishing several works on Catholic doctrine and philosophy.
During the 19th century, a military officer named Francesco Catanzaro fought in the Italian unification wars under the leadership of Giuseppe Garibaldi. He was decorated for his bravery in the Battle of Volturno in 1860, which helped secure the unification of the Kingdom of Italy.
Another significant figure with the surname Catanzaro was Vincenzo Catanzaro, a 20th-century politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Italian parliament from 1958 to 1972. He was born in Catanzaro in 1902 and played a prominent role in the Christian Democratic Party.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Catanzaro
Among Census respondents with the surname Catanzaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Catanzaro 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 Catanzaro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 2,367
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 134
- Two or more races3.1% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Catanzaro
Catanzaro 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
#11,122
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,851
-6 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 792 places
2020
#11,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,603
-248 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 431 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,330 | 2,857 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,122 | 2,851 | 0.97 | -6 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 792 places |
| 2020 | #11,553 | 2,603 | 0.87 | -248 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 431 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 Catanzaro 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 | #11,122 | #11,553 | -3.9% |
| Count | 2,851 | 2,603 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.87 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Catanzaro bearers went from 2,851 to 2,603 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 431 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,122 to #11,553.
FAQ
Catanzaro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Catanzaro?
Name Census estimates that about 2,985 living Americans carry the surname Catanzaro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,826 residents.
How common is Catanzaro?
Catanzaro ranks #11,553 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 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 2,603 people with the surname Catanzaro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,985), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 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 Catanzaro.
Has Catanzaro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Catanzaro went from 2,851 recorded bearers to 2,603. That is a decrease of 248 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,122 to #11,553.
What does the Census say about the background of Catanzaro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Catanzaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Catanzaro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (2,367 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Catanzaro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Catanzaro (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 Catanzaro mean?
Derived from the Italian city of Catanzaro, likely referring to a person who originated from that location. 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 Catanzaro (0.87 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 have the last name Catanzaro?
See how many people have the last name Catanzaro on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.