Find out how popular the last name Gaetano is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gaetano.

Gaetano, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gaetano surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gaetano in America

Gaetano is the 21672nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gaetano surname appeared 1,202 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gaetano.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gaetano to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Gaetano

The surname Gaetano originates from Italy and is derived from the Italian town of Gaeta, located in the province of Latina, Lazio region. The name traces its roots back to the Medieval Latin "Caietanus," meaning "from Gaeta."

The coastal town of Gaeta has a long and rich history, dating back to the Roman era when it was known as Caieta. It was initially founded by the ancient Italic tribes and later became an important naval base for the Roman Empire. This historical connection to the town is reflected in the surname Gaetano.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Gaetano can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Benedictine monastery in Cava de' Tirreni, dating back to the 11th century. The surname appears in various forms, such as "Caietanus" and "Gaietanus."

In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Gaetano was St. Peter Caetani (1195-1256), also known as Pietro da Gaeta. He was a renowned theologian and Cardinal-Bishop of Sabina, who played a significant role in the Church during the papacy of Innocent IV.

Another prominent individual was Benedetto Gaetano (1235-1293), an Italian jurist and canonist, who served as the Archbishop of Monreale in Sicily. He is known for his contributions to canon law and his commentaries on the Decretals of Gregory IX.

During the Renaissance period, the Gaetani family from Naples produced several notable figures, including Enrico Gaetano (1551-1603), a renowned architect and engineer who designed several churches and palaces in Naples and its surrounding areas.

In the 17th century, Tommaso Gaetano (1619-1671) was a distinguished Jesuit mathematician and astronomer from Naples. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and is credited with discovering several comets.

The surname Gaetano has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout Italy, such as Gaeta, Caietano, and Caetani, which were derived from the original town of Gaeta.

These are just a few examples of the historical significance and prominence of the surname Gaetano, which has its roots deeply embedded in the rich cultural heritage of Italy, particularly the town of Gaeta and its surrounding regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gaetano

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gaetano.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gaetano was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gaetano has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gaetano was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gaetano, please contact us.

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