2000
#7,473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.52
Rare Last name
Cortese
An Italian surname derived from the word "cortese," meaning courteous or polite.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,564 Americans carry the last name Cortese. That puts it at #7,981 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cortese 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 Cortese with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 75,100
Census rank
#7,981
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,980 bearers of the surname Cortese in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7981st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cortese, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cortese
The surname Cortese originates from Italy, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 11th century. It is believed to be derived from the Italian word "corte," meaning "court" or "courtyard," suggesting that the name may have been associated with someone who lived or worked near a courtyard or castle. Alternatively, it could also be related to the word "cortese," meaning "courteous" or "polite," implying that the name was initially given to someone known for their polite demeanor.
One of the earliest mentions of the name Cortese can be found in a document from the city of Genoa, dated around 1150, where a person named Guglielmo Cortese is listed as a witness to a property transaction. This indicates that the name was already in use among the Italian population by the 12th century.
During the 13th century, the Cortese family gained prominence in the city of Pavia, where they were involved in local politics and held influential positions. In 1278, a certain Giacomo Cortese is recorded as serving as a magistrate in Pavia, further cementing the family's standing in the region.
In the 14th century, a branch of the Cortese family migrated to Sicily, where they established themselves as landowners and influential members of the local nobility. One notable figure from this period was Vincenzo Cortese (1335-1402), a wealthy landowner and patron of the arts, who commissioned several religious artworks for churches in Palermo.
As the centuries passed, the Cortese name continued to spread across various regions of Italy, with notable individuals emerging in different fields. One such individual was Antonio Cortese (1495-1571), a renowned humanist scholar and Catholic prelate, who served as the Bishop of Urbino and was known for his writings on theology and philosophy.
In the realm of literature, Giulio Cesare Cortese (1570-1640) was a celebrated Italian poet and playwright from Naples, whose works were widely acclaimed during the Baroque period. His most famous play, "La Calandra," is considered a masterpiece of Renaissance comedy.
The Cortese name has also been associated with the wine industry, particularly in the Piedmont region of Italy. The Cortese grape variety is used to produce the renowned Gavi wine, and several prominent winemaking families bear this surname, including the Cortese family of Gavi, whose vineyards date back to the 17th century.
Other notable individuals with the surname Cortese include Nino Cortese (1899-1984), an Italian film director and screenwriter best known for his collaboration with Federico Fellini on the classic movie "La Strada"; and Giacomo Cortese (1513-1598), an Italian architect and sculptor who designed several notable buildings in the city of Naples.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cortese
Among Census respondents with the surname Cortese, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Cortese 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 Cortese surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 3,613
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 215
- Two or more races2.7% · 108
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 24
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cortese
Cortese 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
#7,844
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,221
+112 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Down 371 places
2020
#7,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,980
-241 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 137 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,473 | 4,109 | 1.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,844 | 4,221 | 1.43 | +112 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 371 places |
| 2020 | #7,981 | 3,980 | 1.33 | -241 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 137 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 Cortese 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 | #7,844 | #7,981 | -1.7% |
| Count | 4,221 | 3,980 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.43 | 1.33 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cortese bearers went from 4,221 to 3,980 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 137 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,844 to #7,981.
FAQ
Cortese surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cortese?
Name Census estimates that about 4,564 living Americans carry the surname Cortese. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,100 residents.
How common is Cortese?
Cortese ranks #7,981 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,980 people with the surname Cortese. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,564), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cortese.
Has Cortese become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cortese went from 4,221 recorded bearers to 3,980. That is a decrease of 241 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,844 to #7,981.
What does the Census say about the background of Cortese?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cortese, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Cortese in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (3,613 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cortese appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (5.4%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Cortese (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 Cortese mean?
An Italian surname derived from the word "cortese," meaning courteous or polite. 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 Cortese (1.33 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 last name Cortese?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Cortese, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.