2000
#9,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Paladino
An Italian surname referring to a palatine, a high-ranking official in a royal court.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,409 Americans carry the last name Paladino. That puts it at #10,312 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,544 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paladino 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
3.4K
1 in 100,544
Census rank
#10,312
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,973 bearers of the surname Paladino in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10312th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paladino, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paladino
The surname Paladino is of Italian origin, tracing its roots back to the regions of Sicily and Calabria during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Italian word "paladino," which means "knight" or "champion." This suggests that the name may have been given to a person who displayed exceptional bravery or skill in combat during that era.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Paladino appears in the historic Sicilian manuscript "Codice Diplomatico dei Re Aragonesi," which dates back to the 13th century. This document mentions a nobleman named Guglielmo Paladino, who held significant land and properties in the town of Messina.
In the 14th century, the name Paladino can be found in various records from the city of Cosenza, located in the southern Italian region of Calabria. These records include references to a prominent family bearing the Paladino name, who were involved in local politics and commerce.
During the Renaissance period, the name Paladino gained further recognition with the birth of Giovanni Battista Paladino (1548-1622), a renowned Italian architect and sculptor from Palermo, Sicily. His most notable works include the design of the Church of San Giuseppe dei Teatini in Palermo and the sculptural decorations for the city's famous Quattro Canti.
Another notable figure bearing this surname was Francesca Paladino (1737-1799), an Italian painter and engraver from Naples. She was one of the few female artists of her time to achieve widespread recognition, and her works were highly sought after by collectors and patrons throughout Europe.
In the 19th century, the Paladino name gained further prominence with the birth of Nicola Paladino (1841-1908), an Italian politician and journalist from Campania. He served as a member of the Italian Parliament and was a vocal advocate for social and political reforms during the unification of Italy.
The origins of the Paladino surname can also be traced to various place names in Italy, such as Paladino di Sessa Aurunca, a town located in the province of Caserta, and Paladino di Carrarese, a village in the province of Cosenza. These place names likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paladino
Among Census respondents with the surname Paladino, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Paladino 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 Paladino surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 2,648
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 207
- Two or more races2.6% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paladino
Paladino 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
#9,925
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,253
+123 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 399 places
2020
#10,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,973
-280 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 387 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,526 | 3,130 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,925 | 3,253 | 1.10 | +123 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 399 places |
| 2020 | #10,312 | 2,973 | 0.99 | -280 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 387 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 Paladino 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 | #9,925 | #10,312 | -3.9% |
| Count | 3,253 | 2,973 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 0.99 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paladino bearers went from 3,253 to 2,973 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 387 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,925 to #10,312.
FAQ
Paladino surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paladino?
Name Census estimates that about 3,409 living Americans carry the surname Paladino. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,544 residents.
How common is Paladino?
Paladino ranks #10,312 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 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 2,973 people with the surname Paladino. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,409), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 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 Paladino.
Has Paladino become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paladino went from 3,253 recorded bearers to 2,973. That is a decrease of 280 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,925 to #10,312.
What does the Census say about the background of Paladino?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paladino, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Paladino in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (2,648 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paladino appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Hispanic (7.0%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Paladino (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 Paladino mean?
An Italian surname referring to a palatine, a high-ranking official in a royal court. 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 Paladino (0.99 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 Paladino?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.