2000
#4,612
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,034
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.61
Rare Last name
Napolitano
A locational surname indicating someone from the Italian city of Naples or the surrounding region of Napoli.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,571 Americans carry the last name Napolitano. That puts it at #5,127 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,272 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Napolitano 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 Napolitano with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.6K
1 in 45,272
Census rank
#5,127
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,602 bearers of the surname Napolitano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5127th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Napolitano, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Napolitano
The surname Napolitano originated in Italy, specifically in the region of Campania, where the city of Naples (Napoli in Italian) is located. The name is derived from the word "Napoletano," which means "from Naples" or "Neapolitan" in Italian.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Napolitano can be traced back to the 12th century in various historical documents and archives from the Naples area. These records often referred to individuals who had migrated from Naples to other regions of Italy or Europe.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Giovanni Napolitano, a scholar and jurist who lived in the 13th century. He is mentioned in several legal documents and treatises from that period, including the "Liber Augustalis," a compilation of laws and regulations from the Kingdom of Sicily.
In the 14th century, the name Napolitano appeared in the "Codice Diplomatico Napolitano," a collection of diplomatic documents and records from the city of Naples. This suggests that the name was well-established in the region by that time.
During the Renaissance, several notable individuals bore the surname Napolitano. Andrea Napolitano (1450-1516) was a renowned Italian painter and architect who worked in Naples and other parts of southern Italy. His works can be found in various churches and museums throughout the region.
Another prominent figure was Pietro Antonio Napolitano (1500-1570), a Neapolitan composer and organist who served in the court of the Viceroy of Naples. His compositions, including motets and madrigals, were widely performed and published during his lifetime.
In the 17th century, the name Napolitano was associated with the Neapolitan School of painters, which included artists such as Massimo Stanzione (1585-1656) and Luca Giordano (1634-1705). These artists were known for their distinctive styles and contributions to the Italian Baroque period.
During the 18th century, the surname Napolitano was also found in historical records related to the Kingdom of Naples, which was ruled by various dynasties, including the Spanish Habsburgs and the House of Bourbon. One notable figure from this era was Domenico Napolitano (1718-1790), a Neapolitan architect and engineer who designed several churches and palaces in Naples and its surrounding areas.
In the 19th century, the name Napolitano continued to be associated with individuals from the Naples region, including artists, writers, and intellectuals. One such figure was Filippo Napolitano (1818-1887), a Neapolitan poet and dramatist who wrote in the Neapolitan dialect and contributed to the preservation of local cultural traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Napolitano
Among Census respondents with the surname Napolitano, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Napolitano 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 Napolitano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 5,943
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 413
- Two or more races2.4% · 157
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 64
- Black or African American0.3% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Napolitano
Napolitano 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
#4,917
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,153
+119 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 2.42
Rank movement Down 305 places
2020
#5,127
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,602
-551 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 2.21
Rank movement Down 210 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,612 | 7,034 | 2.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,917 | 7,153 | 2.42 | +119 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 305 places |
| 2020 | #5,127 | 6,602 | 2.21 | -551 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 210 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 Napolitano 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 | #4,917 | #5,127 | -4.3% |
| Count | 7,153 | 6,602 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.42 | 2.21 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Napolitano bearers went from 7,153 to 6,602 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 210 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,917 to #5,127.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Napolitano
FAQ
Napolitano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Napolitano?
Name Census estimates that about 7,571 living Americans carry the surname Napolitano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,272 residents.
How common is Napolitano?
Napolitano ranks #5,127 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.21 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 6,602 people with the surname Napolitano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,571), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.21 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 Napolitano.
Has Napolitano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Napolitano went from 7,153 recorded bearers to 6,602. That is a decrease of 551 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,917 to #5,127.
What does the Census say about the background of Napolitano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Napolitano, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Napolitano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (5,943 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Napolitano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (6.3%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Napolitano (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 Napolitano mean?
A locational surname indicating someone from the Italian city of Naples or the surrounding region of Napoli. 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 Napolitano (2.21 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 Napolitano?
You can see how many people have the last name Napolitano on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.