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

LaRosa, 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 LaRosa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of LaRosa in America

LaRosa is the 5140th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The LaRosa surname appeared 6,808 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 LaRosa.

We can also compare 2010 data for LaRosa 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 LaRosa

The surname Larosa has its origins in Italy, where it emerged during the medieval period, likely in the 12th or 13th century. It is derived from the Italian phrase "la rosa," which translates to "the rose." This name may have initially been a descriptive nickname referring to someone associated with roses, perhaps a rose cultivator or a person who lived near a rosebush.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Larosa name can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Padovano, a collection of historical documents from the city of Padua, dated around 1250. This suggests that the name was already well-established in northern Italy by the 13th century.

In the 14th century, the Larosa surname appeared in various records from the Republic of Venice, particularly in the city of Verona. One notable figure was Bartolomeo Larosa, a merchant and diplomat who lived from 1325 to 1390. He was involved in trade negotiations with other Italian city-states and played a role in strengthening Verona's economic ties.

As the surname spread throughout Italy, variations in spelling emerged, including LaRosa, La Rosa, and De Rosa. These variations often reflected regional dialects and local pronunciation patterns. In the 16th century, a prominent member of the Larosa family was Girolamo Larosa, a Renaissance scholar and humanist born in Naples in 1505. He was renowned for his literary works and contributions to the study of classical Greek and Latin texts.

During the 17th century, the Larosa name gained prominence in Sicily, where several members of the family held influential positions in the local nobility. Vincenzo Larosa, born in 1620 in Palermo, was a celebrated poet and playwright who wrote numerous works in the Sicilian dialect.

As Italians began to emigrate to other parts of the world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Larosa surname spread to new regions. One notable figure was Salvatore Larosa, an Italian-American artist born in 1890 in New York City. He became known for his vibrant paintings depicting scenes of Italian-American life in the early 20th century.

While the origins of the Larosa surname can be traced back to medieval Italy, it has since become a widespread name found in various parts of the world, reflecting the global reach of Italian migration and cultural influence.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name LaRosa

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

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

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

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