2000
#11,862
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,417
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Cuomo
Derived from the Italian place name Como, likely referring to a person who originally came from that city.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,641 Americans carry the last name Cuomo. That puts it at #12,780 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 129,782 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cuomo 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
2.6K
1 in 129,782
Census rank
#12,780
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,303 bearers of the surname Cuomo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12780th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuomo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cuomo
The surname Cuomo originated in Italy, specifically in the region of Campania. It first emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "cuomo," which means "man" or "person." It is believed to have been initially used as a descriptive nickname or a reference to a person's occupation or status.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cuomo can be found in a document from the 13th century, in which a certain Guglielmo Cuomo is mentioned as a resident of Naples. This suggests that the name was already in use in the city and its surrounding areas at that time.
The Cuomo surname is also associated with the town of Cuomo, located in the province of Benevento, Campania. It is possible that some individuals with this surname may have originated from or had ties to this particular town, contributing to the spread of the name across the region.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the Cuomo surname. One of the earliest recorded examples is Giovanni Cuomo, a renowned painter from Naples who lived during the 16th century (c. 1515-1590). His works, primarily religious paintings, can be found in various churches and galleries throughout Italy.
Another notable figure was Vincenzo Cuomo (1770-1823), an Italian composer and musician who was highly regarded in his time for his compositions for the church and for the theater.
In the 20th century, Mario Cuomo (1932-2015) was a prominent American politician and lawyer who served as the 52nd Governor of New York from 1983 to 1994. His son, Andrew Cuomo (born 1957), also followed in his footsteps and served as the 56th Governor of New York from 2011 to 2022.
Additionally, Angelo Cuomo (1919-2001) was an Italian-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Cuomo Foundation, dedicated to supporting charitable causes in the United States and Italy.
Overall, the surname Cuomo has a rich history rooted in the Italian region of Campania, with various notable individuals bearing this name throughout different eras and fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cuomo
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuomo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Cuomo 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 Cuomo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 2,075
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 142
- Two or more races2.4% · 55
- Black or African American0.7% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cuomo
Cuomo 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
#12,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,424
+7 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 870 places
2020
#12,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,303
-121 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,862 | 2,417 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,732 | 2,424 | 0.82 | +7 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 870 places |
| 2020 | #12,780 | 2,303 | 0.77 | -121 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 48 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 Cuomo 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 | #12,732 | #12,780 | -0.4% |
| Count | 2,424 | 2,303 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.77 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cuomo bearers went from 2,424 to 2,303 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,732 to #12,780.
FAQ
Cuomo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cuomo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,641 living Americans carry the surname Cuomo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 129,782 residents.
How common is Cuomo?
Cuomo ranks #12,780 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,303 people with the surname Cuomo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,641), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Cuomo.
Has Cuomo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cuomo went from 2,424 recorded bearers to 2,303. That is a decrease of 121 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,732 to #12,780.
What does the Census say about the background of Cuomo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuomo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Cuomo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (2,075 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cuomo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (6.2%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Cuomo (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 Cuomo mean?
Derived from the Italian place name Como, likely referring to a person who originally came from that city. 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 Cuomo (0.77 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 are called Cuomo?
You can see how many people are called Cuomo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.