2000
#4,389
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,483
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.77
Rare Last name
Mauro
Derived from the Latin name Maurus, referring to a person from the ancient region of Mauritania in North Africa.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,425 Americans carry the last name Mauro. That puts it at #4,683 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,683 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mauro 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mauro with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.4K
1 in 40,683
Census rank
#4,683
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,347 bearers of the surname Mauro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4683rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mauro, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mauro
The surname Mauro originated in Italy, and its earliest recorded use dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Latin word "maurus," which means "dark-skinned" or "Moorish." The name was initially given to individuals with darker complexions, possibly due to their heritage or exposure to the sun.
Mauro is predominantly found in southern Italy, particularly in regions like Sicily, Calabria, and Campania. This distribution suggests that the name may have been introduced or influenced by the Moorish presence in these areas during the Middle Ages.
In historical records, one of the earliest documented instances of the surname Mauro can be found in the Sicilian town of Modica in the year 1192. A man named Giordano Mauro was mentioned in a legal document from that time.
Another notable reference is the Venetian explorer and cartographer Fra Mauro, who lived from 1390 to 1459. He was responsible for creating one of the most detailed world maps of the 15th century, known as the Fra Mauro Map.
In the 16th century, a wealthy merchant named Gaspare Mauro played a significant role in the economic and cultural life of Palermo, Sicily. He was a patron of the arts and supported various artistic endeavors during the Renaissance period.
During the 18th century, a prominent figure named Giovanni Mauro was a prominent lawyer and jurist in Naples. He contributed significantly to the development of legal principles and practices in the Kingdom of Naples.
In the realm of literature, the Italian writer and poet Ezio Mauro, born in 1949, is a notable bearer of the surname. He served as the editor-in-chief of the renowned Italian newspaper La Repubblica and has published several acclaimed works.
Other notable individuals with the surname Mauro include the Italian painter and sculptor Giulio Mauro (1554-1619), the Italian architect and engineer Domenico Mauro (1785-1856), and the Italian-American actor and comedian Steve Mauro (1938-2020).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mauro
Among Census respondents with the surname Mauro, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mauro 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 Mauro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 6,523
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 555
- Two or more races2.2% · 158
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 62
- Black or African American0.5% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mauro
Mauro 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
#4,594
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,722
+239 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 2.62
Rank movement Down 205 places
2020
#4,683
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,347
-375 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 2.46
Rank movement Down 89 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,389 | 7,483 | 2.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,594 | 7,722 | 2.62 | +239 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 205 places |
| 2020 | #4,683 | 7,347 | 2.46 | -375 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 89 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 Mauro 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 | #4,594 | #4,683 | -1.9% |
| Count | 7,722 | 7,347 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.62 | 2.46 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mauro bearers went from 7,722 to 7,347 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 89 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,594 to #4,683.
FAQ
Mauro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mauro?
Name Census estimates that about 8,425 living Americans carry the surname Mauro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,683 residents.
How common is Mauro?
Mauro ranks #4,683 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.46 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,347 people with the surname Mauro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,425), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.46 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mauro.
Has Mauro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mauro went from 7,722 recorded bearers to 7,347. That is a decrease of 375 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,594 to #4,683.
What does the Census say about the background of Mauro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mauro, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Mauro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (6,523 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mauro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Hispanic (7.6%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Mauro (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 Mauro mean?
Derived from the Latin name Maurus, referring to a person from the ancient region of Mauritania in North Africa. 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 Mauro (2.46 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 share the surname Mauro?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.