2000
#86,992
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 199
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Militano
An Italian surname meaning "militant" or "combative".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 279 Americans carry the last name Militano. That puts it at #83,373 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,228,510 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Militano 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
279
1 in 1,228,510
Census rank
#83,373
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
243
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 243 bearers of the surname Militano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 83373rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Militano, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.9%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Militano
The surname Militano is of Italian origin, originating from the southern regions of Italy, particularly Campania and Calabria. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "militare," which means "to serve as a soldier" or "to be a soldier." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with soldiers, military personnel, or individuals involved in warfare.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Militano can be found in the records of the Kingdom of Naples in the 15th century. During this period, the name appeared in various legal documents and property records, indicating its presence in the region.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Militano was Girolamo Militano, a renowned Italian philosopher and humanist born in Naples around 1510. He was known for his teachings and writings on ethics, logic, and metaphysics, contributing to the intellectual discourse of his time.
The surname Militano also has a connection to certain place names in Italy. For example, the town of Militano in the province of Catanzaro, Calabria, may have influenced the surname's prevalence in that region. Additionally, variations of the name, such as Militani or Militani, can be found in historical records from various parts of southern Italy.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure with the surname Militano was Antonio Militano, born in 1725 in Naples. He was a celebrated painter and fresco artist, renowned for his works adorning churches and noble residences throughout the Kingdom of Naples.
During the 19th century, the Militano surname gained further recognition with Giuseppe Militano, a notable Italian playwright and poet born in Palermo, Sicily, in 1820. His literary works, including several successful plays, earned him critical acclaim and helped popularize the surname among literary circles.
It is important to note that while these are some notable examples of individuals with the surname Militano throughout history, the name may have had a more widespread presence across different regions of Italy and among various professions and social classes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Militano
Among Census respondents with the surname Militano, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.9%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Militano 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 Militano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.1% · 197
- Hispanic or Latino16.9% · 41
- Two or more races1.2% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Militano
Militano 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
#75,564
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 255
+56 bearers (+28.1%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 11,428 places
2020
#83,373
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 243
-12 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 7,809 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #86,992 | 199 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #75,564 | 255 | 0.09 | +56 bearers (+28.1%) | Up 11,428 places |
| 2020 | #83,373 | 243 | 0.08 | -12 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 7,809 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 Militano 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 | #75,564 | #83,373 | -10.3% |
| Count | 255 | 243 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.08 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Militano bearers went from 255 to 243 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 7,809 positions in the national ranking, going from #75,564 to #83,373.
FAQ
Militano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Militano?
Name Census estimates that about 279 living Americans carry the surname Militano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,228,510 residents.
How common is Militano?
Militano ranks #83,373 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 243 people with the surname Militano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (279), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Militano.
Has Militano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Militano went from 255 recorded bearers to 243. That is a decrease of 12 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #75,564 to #83,373.
What does the Census say about the background of Militano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Militano, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.9%) and Two or More Races (1.2%). 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 Militano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.1% (197 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Militano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.1%), Hispanic (16.9%), Two or More Races (1.2%). 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 Militano (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 Militano mean?
An Italian surname meaning "militant" or "combative". 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 Militano (0.08 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 are called Militano?
Want to know how many people have the last name Militano? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.