2000
#9,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,319
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.23
Rare Last name
Palazzolo
Derived from the Italian word "palazzo," indicating a person who lived or worked in or near a palace.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,720 Americans carry the last name Palazzolo. That puts it at #9,585 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,138 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Palazzolo 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
3.7K
1 in 92,138
Census rank
#9,585
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,244 bearers of the surname Palazzolo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9585th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Palazzolo, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Palazzolo
The surname Palazzolo originated in Italy, specifically in the regions of Sicily and Calabria, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "palazzo," meaning "palace," and the diminutive suffix "-olo," indicating a small palace or manor house. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with families who owned or lived in such residences.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Palazzolo can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico della Sicilia," a collection of historical documents dating back to the 11th century. In these records, the name appears as "Palazolu," indicating its Sicilian roots and early spelling variations.
Historically, the Palazzolo family was prominent in various parts of southern Italy. In the 14th century, Giovanni Palazzolo (1320-1390) was a renowned scholar and philosopher from Palermo, Sicily, who made significant contributions to the study of logic and metaphysics.
Another notable figure was Vincenzo Palazzolo (1575-1648), a Sicilian architect and engineer who designed several churches and public buildings in Palermo during the Baroque period, including the Church of San Giuseppe dei Teatini and the Palazzo Valguarnera.
In the 18th century, Francesco Palazzolo (1720-1792) was a prominent lawyer and judge from Reggio Calabria, known for his expertise in civil law and his involvement in the Calabrian legal system.
During the 19th century, the Palazzolo name gained further recognition with the birth of Antonio Palazzolo (1845-1920), a Sicilian politician and writer who served as a deputy in the Italian parliament and authored several works on the history and culture of Sicily.
Another influential figure was Raffaele Palazzolo (1880-1960), a Sicilian-born sculptor and artist who gained international acclaim for his works, including sculptures adorning various churches and public spaces in Italy and the United States.
The Palazzolo surname has also been associated with several place names in southern Italy, such as Palazzolo Acreide, a town in the province of Syracuse, Sicily, and Palazzolo dello Stella, a municipality in the province of Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Palazzolo
Among Census respondents with the surname Palazzolo, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Palazzolo 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 Palazzolo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 3,023
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 114
- Two or more races2.4% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 20
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Palazzolo
Palazzolo 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
#9,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,374
+55 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 572 places
2020
#9,585
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,244
-130 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Up 42 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,055 | 3,319 | 1.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,627 | 3,374 | 1.14 | +55 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 572 places |
| 2020 | #9,585 | 3,244 | 1.09 | -130 bearers (-3.9%) | Up 42 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 Palazzolo 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 | #9,627 | #9,585 | 0.4% |
| Count | 3,374 | 3,244 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 1.09 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Palazzolo bearers went from 3,374 to 3,244 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 42 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,627 to #9,585.
FAQ
Palazzolo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Palazzolo?
Name Census estimates that about 3,720 living Americans carry the surname Palazzolo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,138 residents.
How common is Palazzolo?
Palazzolo ranks #9,585 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,244 people with the surname Palazzolo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,720), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Palazzolo.
Has Palazzolo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Palazzolo went from 3,374 recorded bearers to 3,244. That is a decrease of 130 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,627 to #9,585.
What does the Census say about the background of Palazzolo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Palazzolo, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) 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 Palazzolo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (3,023 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Palazzolo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (3.5%), 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 Palazzolo (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 Palazzolo mean?
Derived from the Italian word "palazzo," indicating a person who lived or worked in or near a palace. 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 Palazzolo (1.09 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 Palazzolo?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.