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

Loreto, 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 Loreto surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Loreto in America

Loreto is the 19703rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Loreto surname appeared 1,367 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Loreto.

We can also compare 2010 data for Loreto 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 Loreto

The surname Loreto is of Italian origin, with its roots traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Italian town of Loreto, located in the Marche region. The name Loreto is derived from the Latin word "lauretum," meaning a laurel grove or a place abundant with laurel trees.

The town of Loreto gained significant importance in the Catholic faith due to the presence of the Basilica della Santa Casa, a shrine housing the purported home of the Virgin Mary, which is believed to have been miraculously transported from Nazareth to Loreto in the 13th century. This religious significance likely contributed to the widespread adoption of the surname Loreto among devotees and pilgrims visiting the town.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Loreto can be found in the 16th-century records of the Piccolomini family, a prominent noble family from Siena, Italy. Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who later became Pope Pius II (1405-1464), is known to have visited the Basilica della Santa Casa in Loreto and is believed to have contributed to the fame of the shrine.

In the realm of the arts, Claudio Loreto (1592-1666) was an Italian painter and engraver from Bologna, renowned for his religious works and etchings. Another notable figure was Vittoria Loreto (1582-1618), an Italian composer and singer during the Renaissance era, who gained recognition for her musical compositions and performances.

The surname Loreto has also been associated with notable figures in literature. Giambattista Lorenzetti, better known as Giambattista Loreto (1590-1646), was an Italian dramatist and poet from Naples, celebrated for his tragedies and comedies during the Baroque period.

In the field of science, Giovanni Loreto (1627-1698) was an Italian mathematician and physicist from Naples, known for his contributions to the study of optics and the development of telescopes.

Over the centuries, the surname Loreto has spread beyond Italy to other parts of the world, carried by Italian immigrants and their descendants. However, its roots can be traced back to the historic town of Loreto, which has played a significant role in shaping the cultural and religious heritage associated with this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Loreto

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

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

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

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