2000
#10,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,921
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Milazzo
An Italian toponymic surname indicating one's origins in the Sicilian coastal town of Milazzo.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,212 Americans carry the last name Milazzo. That puts it at #10,866 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,711 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Milazzo 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 Milazzo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 106,711
Census rank
#10,866
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,801 bearers of the surname Milazzo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10866th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Milazzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Milazzo
The surname Milazzo is of Italian origin, specifically from the Sicilian region. It is believed to have derived from the place name "Milazzo," a town located in the province of Messina, Sicily. The town's name is thought to have roots in the Ancient Greek word "mele," meaning "apple," likely referring to the abundance of apple orchards in the area.
The earliest known record of the surname Milazzo dates back to the 13th century. In 1282, a document from the Archivo di Stato di Palermo mentions a certain "Guglielmo Milazzo" as a landowner in the town of Milazzo.
During the Middle Ages, the town of Milazzo played a significant role in the conflicts between various rulers vying for control over Sicily. In 1375, a notable figure named Bartolomeo Milazzo is recorded as having led a rebellion against the Aragonese rule in the town.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Milazzo surname was Giacomo Milazzo, a 15th-century Sicilian poet and philosopher. He is best known for his work "Il Libro degli Amori," a collection of poems exploring love and human emotions.
In the 16th century, a member of the Milazzo family, named Giovanni Milazzo, gained prominence as a skilled architect and engineer. He is credited with designing several fortifications and military structures in Sicily, including the Castello di Milazzo, which still stands today.
Another notable figure with the Milazzo surname was Vincenzo Milazzo, a 19th-century Italian chemist and inventor. Born in 1822, he is remembered for his contributions to the development of early batteries and his pioneering work in electrochemistry.
During the Italian unification movement in the 19th century, a patriot named Giuseppe Milazzo played a role in the uprisings against the Bourbon monarchy. He fought alongside the famous revolutionary leader, Giuseppe Garibaldi, and was later honored for his bravery and dedication to the cause of Italian independence.
As the Milazzo surname spread beyond Sicily, it also found its way into other parts of Italy and various regions of the world due to migration. However, its roots can be traced back to the town of Milazzo in Sicily, where the name originated and gained historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Milazzo
Among Census respondents with the surname Milazzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Milazzo 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 Milazzo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 2,500
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 190
- Two or more races2.2% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Milazzo
Milazzo 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
#11,025
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,885
-36 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 884 places
2020
#10,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,801
-84 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Up 159 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,141 | 2,921 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,025 | 2,885 | 0.98 | -36 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 884 places |
| 2020 | #10,866 | 2,801 | 0.94 | -84 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 159 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 Milazzo 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 | #11,025 | #10,866 | 1.4% |
| Count | 2,885 | 2,801 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.94 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Milazzo bearers went from 2,885 to 2,801 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 159 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,025 to #10,866.
FAQ
Milazzo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Milazzo?
Name Census estimates that about 3,212 living Americans carry the surname Milazzo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,711 residents.
How common is Milazzo?
Milazzo ranks #10,866 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 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 2,801 people with the surname Milazzo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,212), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 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 Milazzo.
Has Milazzo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Milazzo went from 2,885 recorded bearers to 2,801. That is a decrease of 84 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,025 to #10,866.
What does the Census say about the background of Milazzo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Milazzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) 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 Milazzo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (2,500 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Milazzo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Hispanic (6.8%), 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 Milazzo (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 Milazzo mean?
An Italian toponymic surname indicating one's origins in the Sicilian coastal town of Milazzo. 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 Milazzo (0.94 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 Milazzo?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.