2000
#114,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Contrada
A surname derived from the Italian word "contrada," meaning a small neighborhood or district.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Contrada. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Contrada 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Contrada in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Contrada, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Contrada
The surname Contrada originates from Italy, where it first appeared in the 13th century. The name likely derives from the Italian word "contrada," which means a street or a district within a town or city. It is believed that the name was initially given to people who lived in a particular contrada or neighborhood.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Contrada can be found in a document from the city of Siena, dated 1285. This document mentions a person named Guido Contrada, who was a merchant in the city. Another early reference is from 1312, where a certain Giovanni di Contrada is mentioned in a legal record from the city of Florence.
In the 14th century, the name Contrada appeared in various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio. During this period, the spelling of the name varied slightly, with variations such as Contrada, Contradi, and Contrade being used.
One notable person with the surname Contrada was Pietro Contrada, a painter from the city of Siena who lived in the late 15th century. He is known for his religious works, including frescoes in the Basilica of San Domenico in Siena.
In the 16th century, the name Contrada spread to other parts of Italy, including Naples and Sicily. A prominent figure with this surname was Girolamo Contrada (1520-1585), a Sicilian jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the city of Palermo.
Another individual of note was Tommaso Contrada (1670-1739), a Neapolitan architect who designed several churches and palaces in Naples and the surrounding region. His most famous work is the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Colonna, a baroque church in Naples.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Contrada name continued to be present in various parts of Italy, with individuals bearing this surname involved in various professions, including the arts, law, and commerce.
In the 19th century, one notable person with the Contrada surname was Giuseppe Contrada (1810-1885), an Italian politician and statesman who served as the Mayor of Palermo from 1865 to 1867.
Overall, the surname Contrada has a long and rich history in Italy, with its roots dating back to the medieval period and its presence spanning various regions and professions throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Contrada
Among Census respondents with the surname Contrada, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Contrada 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 Contrada surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 113
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Contrada
Contrada 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
#121,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
+1 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 6,738 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-26 bearers (-18.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,438 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,852 | 141 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #121,590 | 142 | 0.05 | +1 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 6,738 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -26 bearers (-18.3%) | Down 23,438 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 Contrada 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 | #121,590 | #145,028 | -19.3% |
| Count | 142 | 116 | -18.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Contrada bearers went from 142 to 116 (-18.3% change). The surname moved down 23,438 positions in the national ranking, going from #121,590 to #145,028.
FAQ
Contrada surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Contrada?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Contrada. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Contrada?
Contrada ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Contrada. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Contrada.
Has Contrada become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Contrada went from 142 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 26 (-18.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #121,590 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Contrada?
Among Census respondents with the surname Contrada, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Contrada in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Contrada appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Contrada (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 Contrada mean?
A surname derived from the Italian word "contrada," meaning a small neighborhood or district. 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 Contrada (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 people have the surname Contrada?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.