2000
#35,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 605
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.22
Very Rare Last name
Cattaneo
An Italian surname denoting someone from the Alpine town of Cattanea.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 849 Americans carry the last name Cattaneo. That puts it at #33,184 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 403,715 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cattaneo 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 Cattaneo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
849
1 in 403,715
Census rank
#33,184
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
740
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 740 bearers of the surname Cattaneo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 33184th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cattaneo, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cattaneo
The surname Cattaneo is of Italian origin, specifically from the northern regions of Italy. It dates back to the Middle Ages and is derived from the Italian word "cattano," meaning a landlord or property owner. This surname likely originated as a descriptive name for someone who owned land or property.
The name can be traced back to the 12th century in records from the regions of Lombardy and Piedmont. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in a document from 1189, which mentions a certain Guglielmo Cattaneo, a landowner in the town of Pavia.
In the 13th century, the Cattaneo family gained prominence in the city of Genoa, where they were part of the noble class and held significant political power. One notable member of this family was Oberto Cattaneo, who served as the Doge of Genoa from 1241 to 1243.
The variant spelling "Cattani" was also common in certain areas, particularly in the region of Emilia-Romagna. In the 14th century, a Cattani family was recorded as residing in the city of Bologna, where they held positions of influence.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Cattaneo have achieved distinction in various fields. One such example is Dante Cattaneo (1480-1542), an Italian poet and scholar from Genoa who was known for his works in Latin and Italian.
Another notable figure is Giacomo Cattaneo (1823-1887), an Italian painter and illustrator known for his religious artworks and frescoes in churches across Italy.
In the 20th century, Carlo Cattaneo (1911-1979) was an Italian architect and designer who made significant contributions to the modernist movement in Italy.
Additionally, Gaetano Cattaneo (1771-1841) was an influential Italian mathematician and physicist who made important discoveries in the field of electromagnetism.
The surname Cattaneo continues to be prevalent in various parts of Italy, particularly in the northern regions from where it originated. While its frequency may have fluctuated over time, it remains a prominent Italian surname with a rich historical legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cattaneo
Among Census respondents with the surname Cattaneo, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cattaneo 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 Cattaneo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.2% · 564
- Hispanic or Latino18.4% · 136
- Two or more races3.9% · 29
- Black or African American0.7% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cattaneo
Cattaneo 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
#32,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 714
+109 bearers (+18.0%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Up 2,971 places
2020
#33,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 740
+26 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 916 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #35,239 | 605 | 0.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,268 | 714 | 0.24 | +109 bearers (+18.0%) | Up 2,971 places |
| 2020 | #33,184 | 740 | 0.25 | +26 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 916 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 Cattaneo 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 | #32,268 | #33,184 | -2.8% |
| Count | 714 | 740 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.25 | 3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cattaneo bearers went from 714 to 740 (+3.6% change). The surname moved down 916 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,268 to #33,184.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cattaneo
FAQ
Cattaneo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cattaneo?
Name Census estimates that about 849 living Americans carry the surname Cattaneo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 403,715 residents.
How common is Cattaneo?
Cattaneo ranks #33,184 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.25 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 740 people with the surname Cattaneo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (849), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.25 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 Cattaneo.
Has Cattaneo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cattaneo went from 714 recorded bearers to 740. That is an increase of 26 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,268 to #33,184.
What does the Census say about the background of Cattaneo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cattaneo, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Cattaneo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.2% (564 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cattaneo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.2%), Hispanic (18.4%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Cattaneo (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 Cattaneo mean?
An Italian surname denoting someone from the Alpine town of Cattanea. 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 Cattaneo (0.25 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 Cattaneo?
See how many Americans have the surname Cattaneo on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.