2000
#4,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,525
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.79
Rare Last name
Fontana
An Italian toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a spring or fountain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,461 Americans carry the last name Fontana. That puts it at #4,661 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,510 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fontana 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 Fontana with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.5K
1 in 40,510
Census rank
#4,661
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,378 bearers of the surname Fontana in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4661st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fontana, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fontana
The surname Fontana originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "fontana," meaning "fountain" or "spring." This name likely originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a spring or fountain.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Fontana can be found in historical records from various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Lombardy, and Veneto. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Orazio Fontana, an Italian painter and architect who lived from 1510 to 1571.
During the Renaissance period, the Fontana family produced several notable individuals. For example, Domenico Fontana (1543-1607) was an Italian architect who worked on the construction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and designed the famous Egyptian obelisk in St. Peter's Square.
Another prominent figure with the surname Fontana was Prospero Fontana (1512-1597), an Italian painter and engraver. He was known for his religious works and contributed to the decoration of several churches in Bologna.
In the 18th century, Felice Fontana (1730-1805) was an Italian naturalist and physician who made significant contributions to the study of physiology and anatomy. He conducted experiments on various animals and published important works on the nervous system.
During the 19th century, one of the most notable individuals with the surname Fontana was Gregorio Fontana (1816-1905), an Italian painter and sculptor. He was known for his religious and historical works, and his sculptures can be found in various churches and public spaces in Italy.
While the surname Fontana is primarily associated with Italy, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in Italy, where it was likely derived from the Italian word "fontana," referring to someone who lived near a spring or fountain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fontana
Among Census respondents with the surname Fontana, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Fontana 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 Fontana surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.9% · 6,414
- Hispanic or Latino8.8% · 648
- Two or more races2.6% · 191
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 65
- Black or African American0.6% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fontana
Fontana 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
#4,615
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,685
+160 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 2.61
Rank movement Down 252 places
2020
#4,661
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,378
-307 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 2.47
Rank movement Down 46 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,363 | 7,525 | 2.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,615 | 7,685 | 2.61 | +160 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 252 places |
| 2020 | #4,661 | 7,378 | 2.47 | -307 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 46 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 Fontana 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 | #4,615 | #4,661 | -1.0% |
| Count | 7,685 | 7,378 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.61 | 2.47 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fontana bearers went from 7,685 to 7,378 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 46 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,615 to #4,661.
FAQ
Fontana surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fontana?
Name Census estimates that about 8,461 living Americans carry the surname Fontana. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,510 residents.
How common is Fontana?
Fontana ranks #4,661 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.47 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 7,378 people with the surname Fontana. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,461), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.47 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 Fontana.
Has Fontana become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fontana went from 7,685 recorded bearers to 7,378. That is a decrease of 307 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,615 to #4,661.
What does the Census say about the background of Fontana?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fontana, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Fontana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.9% (6,414 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fontana appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.9%), Hispanic (8.8%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Fontana (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 Fontana mean?
An Italian toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a spring or fountain. 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 Fontana (2.47 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 Fontana?
See how many Americans have the surname Fontana on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.