2000
#7,388
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,159
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.54
Rare Last name
Ippolito
Derived from the Italian personal name Ippolito, meaning "freer of horses" or "horse unleashed."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,458 Americans carry the last name Ippolito. That puts it at #8,150 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,885 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ippolito 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
4.5K
1 in 76,885
Census rank
#8,150
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,888 bearers of the surname Ippolito in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8150th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ippolito, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ippolito
The surname Ippolito originated from Italy, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is a patronymic name derived from the Italian given name Ippolito, which in turn comes from the Greek name Hippolytus. The name Hippolytus means "one who unhitches horses" or "one who releases horses."
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Ippolito can be found in the 13th century in historical records from the regions of Campania and Calabria in southern Italy. The name was particularly prevalent in the city of Naples and surrounding areas, suggesting a possible connection to a notable figure or family from that region.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Ippolito was Giacomo Ippolito, a merchant from Naples who lived in the late 13th century. Records indicate he was involved in the trade of silk and spices with the Middle East and North Africa.
In the 14th century, an Ippolito family established themselves as landowners in the town of Cassano allo Ionio, located in the province of Cosenza, Calabria. This branch of the family is believed to have descended from a knight named Guglielmo Ippolito, who was granted lands in the area for his service during the Angevin wars.
The surname Ippolito gained further prominence in the 15th century with the birth of Ippolito Ferrarese (1453-1520), a renowned Italian painter and sculptor from Ferrara. He was known for his exceptional skill in portraiture and worked for various noble patrons throughout Italy.
Another notable figure was Ippolito d'Este (1509-1572), an Italian cardinal and diplomat from the House of Este. He held significant influence in the papal court and was a patron of the arts, commissioning works from artists like Titian and Benvenuto Cellini.
In the 16th century, the name Ippolito appeared in the annals of Spanish history with Ippolito Borghese (1550-1612), an Italian-born military commander who served in the Spanish Army during the Dutch Revolt. He was granted nobility by King Philip III of Spain for his bravery on the battlefield.
As the Ippolito surname spread throughout Italy, it also took on various regional spellings, such as Ippoliti, Ippolitti, and Ippolito, reflecting the linguistic diversity of the Italian peninsula. However, the core meaning and origin remained the same, tracing back to the ancient Greek name Hippolytus.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ippolito
Among Census respondents with the surname Ippolito, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ippolito 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 Ippolito surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 3,548
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 193
- Two or more races2.3% · 88
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 28
- Black or African American0.7% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ippolito
Ippolito 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
#7,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,246
+87 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Down 408 places
2020
#8,150
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,888
-358 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 354 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,388 | 4,159 | 1.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,796 | 4,246 | 1.44 | +87 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 408 places |
| 2020 | #8,150 | 3,888 | 1.30 | -358 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 354 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 Ippolito 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 | #7,796 | #8,150 | -4.5% |
| Count | 4,246 | 3,888 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.44 | 1.30 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ippolito bearers went from 4,246 to 3,888 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 354 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,796 to #8,150.
FAQ
Ippolito surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ippolito?
Name Census estimates that about 4,458 living Americans carry the surname Ippolito. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,885 residents.
How common is Ippolito?
Ippolito ranks #8,150 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,888 people with the surname Ippolito. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,458), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ippolito.
Has Ippolito become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ippolito went from 4,246 recorded bearers to 3,888. That is a decrease of 358 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,796 to #8,150.
What does the Census say about the background of Ippolito?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ippolito, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Ippolito in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (3,548 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ippolito appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (5.0%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Ippolito (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 Ippolito mean?
Derived from the Italian personal name Ippolito, meaning "freer of horses" or "horse unleashed." 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 Ippolito (1.30 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 Americans have the surname Ippolito?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.