2000
#6,556
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,766
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.77
Rare Last name
Corso
An Italian occupational surname referring to a messenger, courier, or transporter of goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,180 Americans carry the last name Corso. That puts it at #7,130 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,169 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Corso 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
5.2K
1 in 66,169
Census rank
#7,130
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,517 bearers of the surname Corso in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7130th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Corso, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Corso
The surname Corso has its origins in Italy, specifically in the regions of Piedmont, Lombardy, and Liguria. It is derived from the Italian word "corso," which means "course" or "path." The name likely originated as a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived along a particular road or path.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Corso can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Abbey of Cava in southern Italy, dating back to the 11th century. The name appears in various spellings such as Corso, Cursu, and Corsus.
In the 13th century, the name Corso is mentioned in the Chronica Fratris Salimbene, a chronicle written by the Franciscan friar Salimbene di Adam. The chronicle refers to a nobleman named Corso Donati, who was a prominent figure in Florence during the late 13th and early 14th centuries.
Another notable figure with the surname Corso was Pietro Corso, a Venetian merchant and explorer who traveled to the Canary Islands in the early 15th century. He is credited with discovering and naming several islands in the Canary archipelago.
In the 16th century, the name Corso is associated with the Italian Renaissance painter Baldassarre Corso (1510-1588), who was active in Rome and is known for his religious works and portraits.
During the 17th century, the surname Corso gained prominence in the Italian city of Naples, where the family was involved in the production of silk and other textile industries. One member of this family, Giovan Battista Corso (1585-1636), was a renowned architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Naples and its surroundings.
In the 18th century, the name Corso is associated with the Italian composer and violinist Giovanni Battista Corso (1681-1752), who was active in Turin and is known for his contributions to the development of the violin concerto.
Throughout history, the surname Corso has been carried by various individuals across different fields, including artists, merchants, explorers, and intellectuals, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and origins of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Corso
Among Census respondents with the surname Corso, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Corso 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 Corso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 4,109
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 265
- Two or more races2.2% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 26
- Black or African American0.3% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Corso
Corso 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
#6,984
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,798
+32 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.63
Rank movement Down 428 places
2020
#7,130
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,517
-281 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Down 146 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,556 | 4,766 | 1.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,984 | 4,798 | 1.63 | +32 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 428 places |
| 2020 | #7,130 | 4,517 | 1.51 | -281 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 146 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 Corso 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 | #6,984 | #7,130 | -2.1% |
| Count | 4,798 | 4,517 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.63 | 1.51 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Corso bearers went from 4,798 to 4,517 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 146 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,984 to #7,130.
FAQ
Corso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Corso?
Name Census estimates that about 5,180 living Americans carry the surname Corso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,169 residents.
How common is Corso?
Corso ranks #7,130 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,517 people with the surname Corso. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,180), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Corso.
Has Corso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Corso went from 4,798 recorded bearers to 4,517. That is a decrease of 281 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,984 to #7,130.
What does the Census say about the background of Corso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Corso, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Corso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (4,109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Corso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (5.9%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Corso (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 Corso mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a messenger, courier, or transporter of goods. 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 Corso (1.51 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 share the surname Corso?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.