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

Genovese, 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 Genovese surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Genovese in America

Genovese is the 6579th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Genovese surname appeared 5,147 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Genovese.

We can also compare 2010 data for Genovese 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 Genovese

The surname Genovese originates from the city of Genoa in northwestern Italy, situated along the coast of the Ligurian Sea. It dates back to the medieval period when surnames were derived from one's place of origin or residence.

Genovese is the Italian adjective meaning "of Genoa." The name likely arose as a distinguishing term for someone who hailed from the city of Genoa or the surrounding region known as Liguria. The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be traced back to the 13th century.

In the Catalogo dei Genovesi che ebbero l'onore del patriziato (Catalog of Genoese who had the honor of the patriciate), a historical document from the 14th century, several individuals with the surname Genovese are listed, indicating the name's longstanding presence in the area.

One notable figure bearing the Genovese surname was Antonio Genovese, a prominent Genoese merchant and diplomat who lived from 1456 to 1528. He played a crucial role in negotiating trade agreements between Genoa and other Mediterranean powers.

Another individual of historical significance was Gian Battista Genovese, a 16th-century Genoese architect and engineer. He is best known for his contributions to the design and construction of several notable buildings and fortifications in Genoa and the surrounding region.

In the 17th century, the Genovese family produced several influential figures, including Tommaso Genovese (1605-1678), a Genoese nobleman and politician who served as the Doge of Genoa, the republic's highest elected official, from 1663 to 1665.

The surname Genovese also has a connection to the city of Palermo in Sicily, where a prominent family bearing the name resided during the 16th and 17th centuries. One of their members, Giuseppe Genovese (1590-1662), was a renowned Sicilian painter and architect known for his work in the Baroque style.

In the 18th century, Gaetano Genovese (1747-1817) was a notable Neapolitan painter and engraver, celebrated for his landscape paintings and etchings depicting scenes of Naples and its surroundings.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Genovese

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

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 Genovese 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 Genovese 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 Genovese was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!