2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Palatino
An Italian surname derived from the Latin word "palatinus," meaning one from the Palatine Hill in Rome.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Palatino. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Palatino 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Palatino in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Palatino, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Palatino
The surname Palatino has its origins in Italy, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Latin word "palatium," which means palace or residence of a ruler. The name may have been given to individuals who lived or worked in or near a palatial residence, or who were associated with the nobility or ruling class in some way.
One theory suggests that the surname Palatino may have been initially used to refer to people who resided in the Palatine Hill area of ancient Rome, which was home to many prestigious residences and imperial palaces. It is possible that the name was later adopted by families who migrated from this region to other parts of Italy.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Palatino can be found in historical documents and records from various Italian cities, such as Florence, Venice, and Naples, dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries. For example, a document from the Florentine archives mentions a certain "Giulio Palatino" in the year 1327.
In the 15th century, a renowned Italian calligrapher and type designer named Giovanni Battista Palatino (1515-1575) gained recognition for his work on the Palatino typeface, which is still widely used today. His contributions to the field of typography and printing have ensured that the Palatino name is forever associated with the art of lettering and book design.
Another notable figure bearing the Palatino surname was Giovan Battista Palatino (1515-1597), a renowned Italian architect and engineer who worked on several significant projects in Rome during the Renaissance period, including the renovation of the Palazzo Sacchetti and the construction of the Church of Sant'Andrea della Valle.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Palatino family also produced several influential scholars and writers, such as Gian Vincenzo Palatino (1515-1597), a historian and author who wrote about the history of Venice, and Giovanni Battista Palatino (1541-1611), a playwright and poet who contributed to the development of Italian theater.
In the realm of music, the name Palatino is associated with the renowned Italian composer and organist, Giovanni Battista Palatino (1588-1649), who served as the organist of the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome and composed numerous sacred works during his lifetime.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Palatino
Among Census respondents with the surname Palatino, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Palatino 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 Palatino surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.6% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander13.3% · 15
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Palatino
Palatino 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+13 bearers (+12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,103 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,080 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.7%) | Up 4,103 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,080 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 Palatino 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 | #144,141 | #147,221 | -2.1% |
| Count | 115 | 113 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Palatino bearers went from 115 to 113 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,080 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #147,221.
FAQ
Palatino surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Palatino?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Palatino. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Palatino?
Palatino ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 113 people with the surname Palatino. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Palatino.
Has Palatino become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Palatino went from 115 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Palatino?
Among Census respondents with the surname Palatino, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Palatino in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.6% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Palatino appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (13.3%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Palatino (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 Palatino mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Latin word "palatinus," meaning one from the Palatine Hill in Rome. 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 Palatino (0.04 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 Palatino?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.