2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Latempa
A surname indicating someone from the town of Late or Latempa in southern Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Latempa. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Latempa 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Latempa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Latempa, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Latempa
The surname LATEMPA is of Italian origin, originating from the southern regions of Italy, particularly the regions of Campania and Calabria. Its roots can be traced back to the medieval period, around the 13th to 15th centuries.
The name LATEMPA is believed to have derived from an old Italian phrase, "la tempa," which referred to a specific type of terrain or landscape feature. In the local dialects of southern Italy, "tempa" was used to describe a rocky outcrop or a steep cliff face, often found in mountainous areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname LATEMPA can be found in a collection of medieval documents from the town of Salerno, in the Campania region, dating back to the late 14th century. These records mention a family with the surname LATEMPA, who were landowners in the area.
During the Renaissance period, the LATEMPA name appears in several historical records, including a manuscript from the 16th century that mentions a renowned artist named Girolamo LATEMPA (1510-1588), who was known for his fresco paintings in churches and monasteries throughout Naples and the surrounding regions.
Another notable individual with the LATEMPA surname was Antonio LATEMPA (1678-1745), a Neapolitan composer and violinist who gained recognition for his contributions to the development of the Neapolitan school of opera during the Baroque era.
In the 18th century, the LATEMPA name was associated with a prominent family from the town of Scalea, in the Calabria region. This family produced several notable figures, including Domenico LATEMPA (1725-1803), a respected lawyer and jurist who served as a magistrate in the court of the Kingdom of Naples.
Another notable individual was Giovanni LATEMPA (1820-1892), a philosopher and professor at the University of Naples, who was renowned for his works on ethics and moral philosophy.
One of the more recent historical figures with the LATEMPA surname was Vincenzo LATEMPA (1880-1956), a politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Italian Parliament during the early 20th century, representing the region of Calabria.
While the LATEMPA surname is primarily concentrated in southern Italy, it has also been found in other parts of the country, as well as among Italian diaspora communities around the world, particularly in North and South America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Latempa
Among Census respondents with the surname Latempa, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Latempa 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 Latempa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 105
Timeline
Historical Census data for Latempa
Latempa 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-9 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 19,691 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,443 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 19,691 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 5,443 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 Latempa 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 | #158,432 | #152,989 | 3.4% |
| Count | 102 | 105 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Latempa bearers went from 102 to 105 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 5,443 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #152,989.
FAQ
Latempa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Latempa?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Latempa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Latempa?
Latempa ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Latempa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Latempa.
Has Latempa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Latempa went from 102 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 3 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Latempa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Latempa, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Latempa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Latempa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Latempa (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 Latempa mean?
A surname indicating someone from the town of Late or Latempa in southern Italy. 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 Latempa (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 Latempa?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.