2000
#3,762
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,653
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.21
Rare Last name
Fusco
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold spindles or distaffs for spinning wool.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,076 Americans carry the last name Fusco. That puts it at #4,335 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,765 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fusco 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 Fusco with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.1K
1 in 37,765
Census rank
#4,335
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,915 bearers of the surname Fusco in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4335th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fusco, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fusco
The surname Fusco originated in Italy, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "fuscus," meaning "dark" or "swarthy," possibly referring to an individual's complexion or hair color.
The name was initially concentrated in the southern regions of Italy, particularly in the areas around Naples and Campania. It may have emerged as an occupational surname for those involved in charcoal production or as a descriptive name for someone with a dark appearance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fusco can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Barese, a collection of medieval documents from the city of Bari, dating back to the 11th century. This suggests that the name had established itself in southern Italy by that time.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Nicola Fusco was mentioned in the historical records of the Kingdom of Naples. He was a prominent jurist and served as a judge during the reign of King Charles I of Anjou.
During the Renaissance period, the Fusco family gained prominence in the city of Naples. Girolamo Fusco (1509-1569) was a distinguished Italian painter and architect who contributed to the development of Mannerist art in Naples.
Another noteworthy individual bearing the surname Fusco was Tommaso Fusco (1563-1623), an Italian playwright and poet from Naples. He is best known for his tragedies and comedies, which were widely performed in the 17th century.
In the 18th century, Giovanni Battista Fusco (1675-1748) was a celebrated Italian sculptor and architect from Naples. He was renowned for his baroque-style works, including the Fountain of Neptune in the Piazza del Plebiscito.
The name Fusco has also been associated with various place names in Italy, such as Fusco di Ceccano, a town in the province of Frosinone, and Fusco Zannone, a hamlet in the province of Salerno.
Throughout history, several other notable figures have carried the surname Fusco, including Antonio Fusco (1810-1871), an Italian politician and patriot who played a role in the Italian unification movement, and Gennaro Fusco (1833-1882), an Italian mathematician known for his contributions to the study of differential equations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fusco
Among Census respondents with the surname Fusco, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Fusco 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 Fusco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 7,267
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 388
- Two or more races2.2% · 172
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 52
- Black or African American0.4% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fusco
Fusco 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
#4,102
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,650
-3 bearers (-0.0%)
Per 100,000 2.93
Rank movement Down 340 places
2020
#4,335
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,915
-735 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 2.65
Rank movement Down 233 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,762 | 8,653 | 3.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,102 | 8,650 | 2.93 | -3 bearers (-0.0%) | Down 340 places |
| 2020 | #4,335 | 7,915 | 2.65 | -735 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 233 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 Fusco 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 | #4,102 | #4,335 | -5.7% |
| Count | 8,650 | 7,915 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.93 | 2.65 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fusco bearers went from 8,650 to 7,915 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 233 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,102 to #4,335.
FAQ
Fusco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fusco?
Name Census estimates that about 9,076 living Americans carry the surname Fusco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,765 residents.
How common is Fusco?
Fusco ranks #4,335 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,915 people with the surname Fusco. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,076), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Fusco.
Has Fusco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fusco went from 8,650 recorded bearers to 7,915. That is a decrease of 735 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,102 to #4,335.
What does the Census say about the background of Fusco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fusco, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) 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 Fusco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (7,267 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fusco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (4.9%), 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 Fusco (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 Fusco mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold spindles or distaffs for spinning wool. 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 Fusco (2.65 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 Fusco?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.