2000
#12,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,211
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Naples
A surname derived from the Italian city of Naples, likely referring to an ancestor's origin or residence there.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,506 Americans carry the last name Naples. That puts it at #13,343 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,773 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Naples 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
2.5K
1 in 136,773
Census rank
#13,343
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,185 bearers of the surname Naples in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13343rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Naples, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Naples
The surname Naples is a locational name that originated in Italy, specifically in the city of Naples, which is located in the Campania region of southern Italy. The name is derived from the Greek word "Neapolis," which means "new city." This suggests that the name was likely adopted by individuals or families who migrated from the city of Naples to other parts of Italy or Europe.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Naples can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various Italian documents and records. For example, in 1297, a certain Nicolo de Napoli was mentioned in a document from the city of Genoa. Similarly, in 1345, a Guglielmo di Napoli was recorded in a legal document from the city of Pisa.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Naples. One of the earliest was Giovanni da Napoli (c. 1300-1370), an Italian painter and sculptor who worked primarily in the Gothic style. Another was Girolamo da Napoli (c. 1520-1592), an Italian architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Naples and other parts of Italy.
In the 17th century, Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725), an Italian composer and musician, was born in Naples and is considered one of the leading figures in the Baroque era of classical music. A few centuries later, in the 19th century, Domenico Napoli (1810-1892) was an Italian painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting daily life in Naples.
More recently, in the 20th century, Guido Napoli (1911-1976) was an Italian film director and screenwriter who worked on several notable Italian films during the post-World War II era. He is particularly remembered for his collaborations with the acclaimed director Vittorio De Sica.
Throughout its history, the surname Naples has also been associated with various place names and locations in Italy, such as the Napoli province, the Gulf of Naples, and the ancient city of Neapolis, which is now known as Naples. Additionally, the surname has been spelled in various ways, including Napoli, Napoles, and De Napoli, reflecting the regional variations and linguistic influences in different parts of Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Naples
Among Census respondents with the surname Naples, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Naples 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 Naples surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 1,987
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 109
- Two or more races2.2% · 49
- Black or African American0.8% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Naples
Naples 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
#12,566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,463
+252 bearers (+11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 223 places
2020
#13,343
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,185
-278 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 777 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,789 | 2,211 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,566 | 2,463 | 0.83 | +252 bearers (+11.4%) | Up 223 places |
| 2020 | #13,343 | 2,185 | 0.73 | -278 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 777 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 Naples 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 | #12,566 | #13,343 | -6.2% |
| Count | 2,463 | 2,185 | -11.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.73 | -11.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Naples bearers went from 2,463 to 2,185 (-11.3% change). The surname moved down 777 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,566 to #13,343.
FAQ
Naples surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Naples?
Name Census estimates that about 2,506 living Americans carry the surname Naples. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,773 residents.
How common is Naples?
Naples ranks #13,343 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,185 people with the surname Naples. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,506), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Naples.
Has Naples become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Naples went from 2,463 recorded bearers to 2,185. That is a decrease of 278 (-11.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,566 to #13,343.
What does the Census say about the background of Naples?
Among Census respondents with the surname Naples, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) 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 Naples in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (1,987 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Naples appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (5.0%), 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 Naples (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 Naples mean?
A surname derived from the Italian city of Naples, likely referring to an ancestor's origin or residence there. 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 Naples (0.73 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 common is the surname Naples?
If you just want to know how many people are called Naples, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.