2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Germinaro
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "germinare" meaning "to sprout or germinate."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Germinaro. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Germinaro 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Germinaro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Germinaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Germinaro
The surname Germinaro is of Italian origin, deriving from the Calabrian region in Southern Italy. It likely emerged during the medieval period, between the 5th and 15th centuries. The name is thought to be derived from the Italian word "germinare," meaning "to germinate" or "to sprout," possibly suggesting an association with agricultural or botanical roots.
One of the earliest known records of the surname Germinaro can be found in the 16th century. A document from the village of Corigliano Calabro, dated 1587, mentions a certain Giovanni Germinaro, a local landowner and farmer. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by that time.
In the 17th century, there are records of a notable Germinaro family residing in the town of Rossano, located in the province of Cosenza, Calabria. One of the family members, Nicola Germinaro, born in 1629, was a respected scholar and theologian who authored several treatises on religious subjects.
Moving into the 18th century, the name Germinaro appears to have spread to other parts of Italy. In 1772, a certain Giuseppe Germinaro was born in the city of Naples, and he later became a renowned architect, known for his work on several churches and public buildings in the region.
In the 19th century, the Germinaro surname gained further recognition with the birth of Antonio Germinaro in 1832 in the town of Corigliano Calabro. Antonio was a prominent physician and philanthropist who established a hospital and several charitable organizations in his hometown, earning him widespread respect and admiration.
Another notable figure bearing the Germinaro surname was Vincenzo Germinaro, born in 1875 in Rossano, Calabria. Vincenzo was a distinguished lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Italian parliament in the early 20th century, representing the interests of his region.
While the Germinaro surname is most commonly associated with the Calabrian region of Italy, it has also been documented in other parts of the country, as well as in some immigrant communities abroad, particularly in North and South America, where Italian emigrants settled in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Germinaro
Among Census respondents with the surname Germinaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Germinaro 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 Germinaro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.5% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Germinaro
Germinaro 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
#125,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
+21 bearers (+18.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 8,755 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-27 bearers (-19.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,164 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #125,282 | 137 | 0.05 | +21 bearers (+18.1%) | Up 8,755 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -27 bearers (-19.7%) | Down 24,164 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 Germinaro 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 | #125,282 | #149,446 | -19.3% |
| Count | 137 | 110 | -19.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -26.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Germinaro bearers went from 137 to 110 (-19.7% change). The surname moved down 24,164 positions in the national ranking, going from #125,282 to #149,446.
FAQ
Germinaro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Germinaro?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Germinaro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Germinaro?
Germinaro ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Germinaro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Germinaro.
Has Germinaro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Germinaro went from 137 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 27 (-19.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #125,282 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Germinaro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Germinaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%). 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 Germinaro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Germinaro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Hispanic (5.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%). 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 Germinaro (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 Germinaro mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "germinare" meaning "to sprout or germinate." 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 Germinaro (0.04 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 have the surname Germinaro?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.