2000
#13,496
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,066
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Nicolosi
An Italian locational surname referring to someone from Nicolosi, a comune in the province of Catania, Sicily.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,248 Americans carry the last name Nicolosi. That puts it at #14,592 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 152,471 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nicolosi 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
2.2K
1 in 152,471
Census rank
#14,592
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,960 bearers of the surname Nicolosi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14592nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nicolosi, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nicolosi
The surname Nicolosi is of Italian origin, specifically from the region of Sicily. It is derived from the Greek personal name "Nikolaos," which means "victor of the people." The name first appeared in the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Nicolosi can be found in historic documents and records from the towns and villages of eastern Sicily, such as Catania, Messina, and Taormina. These areas were heavily influenced by Greek culture and language due to the colonization of the region by Greek settlers in ancient times.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Nicolosi was Guglielmo Nicolosi, a nobleman and landowner who lived in the town of Castiglione di Sicilia in the late 13th century. Records from this time period indicate that the Nicolosi family held significant power and influence in the region.
Another notable figure with the surname Nicolosi was Giovanni Nicolosi, a Sicilian painter and artist who lived during the 16th century Renaissance period. His works, which included religious imagery and portraits, can be found in churches and museums throughout Sicily.
In the 18th century, a wealthy merchant named Vincenzo Nicolosi made a significant contribution to the city of Catania by funding the construction of a grand fountain, known as the Fontana dell'Amenano. This fountain still stands today and is a popular tourist attraction in the city.
During the 19th century, a Sicilian politician and lawyer named Giuseppe Nicolosi played a prominent role in the movement for Italian unification. He was a member of the Sicilian parliament and worked to secure greater autonomy for the island within the newly formed Kingdom of Italy.
Throughout its history, the surname Nicolosi has also been associated with various place names and locations in Sicily, such as the town of Nicolosi, situated near the base of Mount Etna. This town likely derived its name from the Nicolosi family, who may have been among the original settlers or landowners in the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nicolosi
Among Census respondents with the surname Nicolosi, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Nicolosi 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 Nicolosi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 1,786
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 109
- Two or more races2.1% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 19
- Black or African American0.2% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nicolosi
Nicolosi 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
#14,274
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,098
+32 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 778 places
2020
#14,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,960
-138 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 318 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,496 | 2,066 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,274 | 2,098 | 0.71 | +32 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 778 places |
| 2020 | #14,592 | 1,960 | 0.66 | -138 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 318 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 Nicolosi 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 | #14,274 | #14,592 | -2.2% |
| Count | 2,098 | 1,960 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.66 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nicolosi bearers went from 2,098 to 1,960 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 318 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,274 to #14,592.
FAQ
Nicolosi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nicolosi?
Name Census estimates that about 2,248 living Americans carry the surname Nicolosi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 152,471 residents.
How common is Nicolosi?
Nicolosi ranks #14,592 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,960 people with the surname Nicolosi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,248), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Nicolosi.
Has Nicolosi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nicolosi went from 2,098 recorded bearers to 1,960. That is a decrease of 138 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,274 to #14,592.
What does the Census say about the background of Nicolosi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nicolosi, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Nicolosi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (1,786 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nicolosi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (5.6%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Nicolosi (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 Nicolosi mean?
An Italian locational surname referring to someone from Nicolosi, a comune in the province of Catania, Sicily. 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 Nicolosi (0.66 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 have the surname Nicolosi?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.