2000
#3,867
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,435
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.13
Rare Last name
Conte
An Italian occupational surname referring to a count or a manager of a feudal estate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,204 Americans carry the last name Conte. That puts it at #4,276 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,240 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Conte 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 Conte with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.2K
1 in 37,240
Census rank
#4,276
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,026 bearers of the surname Conte in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4276th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Conte, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Conte
The surname Conte is of Italian origin, derived from the Italian word "conte" meaning "count" or "earl". It first emerged in the Middle Ages, particularly in the regions of Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, and Piedmont.
The name Conte likely originated as a title bestowed upon nobility or those holding high-ranking positions in the feudal system. It may have been initially used as a descriptive surname to identify individuals associated with the noble rank of "count".
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Conte can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Longobardo, a collection of medieval documents from the Lombard era in Italy, dating back to the 8th century. The name appears in various spellings such as "Comite" and "Comitis".
In the 11th century, a notable figure bearing the name Conte was Guido Conte, a powerful nobleman from the city of Parma. He was a prominent figure during the conflicts between the Holy Roman Empire and the Papacy.
Another early recorded instance of the surname Conte is found in the Liber Censuum, a papal census document from the late 12th century. It mentions a certain "Ildebrandus Conte" from the city of Tivoli.
During the Renaissance period, the Conte family played a significant role in the cultural and political life of Italy. One notable member was Jacopo Conte (1476-1558), a renowned Italian painter and architect from the city of Arezzo.
In the 18th century, the Conte surname gained prominence with the birth of Niccolò Conte (1718-1781), an Italian mathematician and philosopher from the city of Treviso. He made significant contributions to the field of calculus and is regarded as one of the founders of modern analytical mechanics.
Another illustrious figure bearing the Conte surname was Antonio Conte (1756-1844), an Italian botanist and naturalist from the region of Piedmont. He made valuable contributions to the study of plant life and is remembered for his extensive botanical research.
In the 20th century, the Conte surname gained further recognition with the birth of Gian Biagio Conte (1941-2023), an Italian philologist and academic from the city of Bergamo. He was a renowned scholar of Latin literature and made significant contributions to the field of literary criticism.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Conte
Among Census respondents with the surname Conte, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Conte 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 Conte surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 7,019
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 469
- Black or African American2.9% · 231
- Two or more races2.2% · 177
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 125
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Conte
Conte 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
#4,061
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,744
+309 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 2.96
Rank movement Down 194 places
2020
#4,276
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,026
-718 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 2.69
Rank movement Down 215 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,867 | 8,435 | 3.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,061 | 8,744 | 2.96 | +309 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 194 places |
| 2020 | #4,276 | 8,026 | 2.69 | -718 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 215 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 Conte 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 | #4,061 | #4,276 | -5.3% |
| Count | 8,744 | 8,026 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.96 | 2.69 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Conte bearers went from 8,744 to 8,026 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 215 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,061 to #4,276.
FAQ
Conte surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Conte?
Name Census estimates that about 9,204 living Americans carry the surname Conte. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,240 residents.
How common is Conte?
Conte ranks #4,276 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,026 people with the surname Conte. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,204), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Conte.
Has Conte become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Conte went from 8,744 recorded bearers to 8,026. That is a decrease of 718 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,061 to #4,276.
What does the Census say about the background of Conte?
Among Census respondents with the surname Conte, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (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 Conte in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (7,019 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Conte appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Hispanic (5.8%), Black (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 Conte (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 Conte mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a count or a manager of a feudal estate. 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 Conte (2.69 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 Conte?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Conte on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.