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

Grasso, 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 Grasso surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Grasso in America

Grasso is the 4492nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Grasso surname appeared 7,894 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Grasso.

We can also compare 2010 data for Grasso 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 Grasso

The surname Grasso originates from Italy, where it has been present since at least the 12th century. It is derived from the Italian word "grasso," meaning "fat" or "stout," suggesting that the name was likely originally a descriptive nickname given to a heavyset individual. The name is particularly associated with the regions of Campania, Calabria, and Sicily in southern Italy.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Grasso surname can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Barese, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bari, dated around 1200. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Grassus" and "Grassio," reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time.

In the 14th century, a notable bearer of the Grasso name was Gian Antonio Grasso, a wealthy merchant and banker from Genoa (born around 1320). He was involved in financing various trade expeditions and played a significant role in the city's economic affairs during that period.

Another prominent figure with the Grasso surname was Antonio Grasso, a Neapolitan painter who lived from 1555 to 1633. He was known for his religious works and contributed to the decoration of several churches in Naples and its surrounding areas.

During the Renaissance, the Grasso family was also influential in the city of Palermo, Sicily. One member, Vincenzo Grasso (1564-1629), served as a senator and held important administrative positions in the city's government.

In the 19th century, Luigi Grasso (1805-1865) was a notable Italian composer and conductor who worked in Naples and composed several operas and other musical works.

Historically, the Grasso surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Grasso, a town in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, and Grasso Valdelsa, a comune in the province of Siena, Tuscany. These place names may have influenced the spread and variations of the surname in different regions of Italy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Grasso

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

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

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

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