2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Colonnese
An Italian surname indicating someone from Colonna, a town in Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Colonnese. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Colonnese 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Colonnese in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Colonnese, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Colonnese
The surname Colonnese is of Italian origin, specifically from the Lazio region of central Italy around Rome. It likely originated in the medieval period, sometime between the 11th and 13th centuries. The name is derived from the Italian word "colonna," which means "column" or "pillar," and the suffix "-ese" indicating a place of origin or association.
One theory suggests that the name Colonnese may have been given to families who lived near or were associated with a prominent column or pillar in their local area. Another possibility is that the name was adopted by those who worked as masons, builders, or architects, as they were skilled in constructing columns and pillars.
In the 14th century, a branch of the powerful Roman noble family Colonna adopted the variant spelling "Colonnese" to distinguish themselves from the main line. This family played a significant role in the political and ecclesiastical affairs of Rome and the Papal States during the Renaissance period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Colonnese can be found in a 1380 document from the Vatican Archives, which mentions a certain "Giovanni Colonnese" as a papal notary. Another early reference is a 1422 manuscript from the Abbey of Monte Cassino, which lists a "Bartolomeo Colonnese" as a scribe and copyist.
During the 15th century, several individuals with the surname Colonnese held prominent positions in the Catholic Church. These include Prospero Colonnese (1452-1528), who served as the Bishop of Terni and later the Bishop of Rieti, and Girolamo Colonnese (1475-1549), who was a renowned scholar and served as the Bishop of Albano.
In the 16th century, Ferdinando Colonnese (1520-1582) was a notable Italian painter and architect who worked on several projects in Rome and the surrounding areas. His most famous work is the church of San Giacomo degli Spagnoli in Rome.
Another notable bearer of the name was Antonio Colonnese (1572-1631), a Jesuit priest and theologian who taught at the Collegio Romano and wrote extensively on topics related to moral theology and canon law.
While the surname Colonnese is not as common as some other Italian surnames, it has a rich history tied to the Lazio region and the city of Rome, with connections to noble families, the Catholic Church, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Colonnese
Among Census respondents with the surname Colonnese, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Colonnese 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 Colonnese surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Colonnese
Colonnese 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,734 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-21 bearers (-16.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,291 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 9,734 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -21 bearers (-16.5%) | Down 19,291 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 Colonnese 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 | #133,048 | #152,339 | -14.5% |
| Count | 127 | 106 | -16.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Colonnese bearers went from 127 to 106 (-16.5% change). The surname moved down 19,291 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #152,339.
FAQ
Colonnese surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Colonnese?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Colonnese. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Colonnese?
Colonnese ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 106 people with the surname Colonnese. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Colonnese.
Has Colonnese become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Colonnese went from 127 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 21 (-16.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Colonnese?
Among Census respondents with the surname Colonnese, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Colonnese in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Colonnese appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Colonnese (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 Colonnese mean?
An Italian surname indicating someone from Colonna, a town in 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 Colonnese (0.04 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 Colonnese?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.