2000
#3,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,207
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.04
Rare Last name
Palermo
From the Italian city of Palermo, the capital of Sicily.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,934 Americans carry the last name Palermo. That puts it at #4,415 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,365 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Palermo 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 Palermo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.9K
1 in 38,365
Census rank
#4,415
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,791 bearers of the surname Palermo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4415th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Palermo, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.8%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Palermo
The surname Palermo has its origins in Italy and is derived from the name of the city of Palermo, the capital of the island of Sicily. The name Palermo itself is derived from the Greek word "Panormus," which means "all-port" or "complete port," referring to the city's strategic location as a major maritime hub in the Mediterranean.
Palermo has a long and rich history that dates back to the Phoenician and Greek civilizations. The city was founded by the Phoenicians in the 8th century BC, and later came under Greek influence. The name Palermo first appeared in written records during this period, with variations such as "Panormus" and "Panhormus."
In the Middle Ages, Palermo was an important center of trade and culture under the rule of various dynasties, including the Arabs, Normans, and Spanish. The surname Palermo likely emerged during this time, as it was common for people to adopt surnames based on their place of origin or residence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Palermo can be found in the Sicilian Vespers, a popular uprising against the French occupation of Sicily in 1282. Historical records mention several individuals with the surname Palermo who played significant roles in this event.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Palermo. One example is Giacomo Palermo (c. 1507-1592), an Italian painter and architect who was active during the Renaissance period. Another is Gaspare Palermo (1572-1630), an Italian mathematician and astronomer known for his contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
In the 19th century, Antonio Palermo (1792-1871) was an Italian politician and statesman who played a crucial role in the unification of Italy. He served as the Minister of Finance in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and later became a senator in the newly formed Kingdom of Italy.
More recently, Francesco Palermo (1949-2020) was an Italian lawyer and academic who specialized in constitutional and minority rights law. He served as the director of the Institute for Minority Rights at the European Academy of Bozen/Bolzano in Italy.
Another notable figure is the Italian-American actor and filmmaker Giancarlo Palermo (1921-1989), known for his work in Italian cinema during the 1950s and 1960s.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have carried the surname Palermo, which has its roots in the rich cultural heritage of the Italian city of the same name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Palermo
Among Census respondents with the surname Palermo, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.8%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Palermo 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 Palermo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.8% · 6,686
- Hispanic or Latino9.8% · 761
- Two or more races2.0% · 152
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 145
- Black or African American0.5% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Palermo
Palermo 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
#4,348
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,165
-42 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 2.77
Rank movement Down 371 places
2020
#4,415
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,791
-374 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 2.61
Rank movement Down 67 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,977 | 8,207 | 3.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,348 | 8,165 | 2.77 | -42 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 371 places |
| 2020 | #4,415 | 7,791 | 2.61 | -374 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 67 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 Palermo 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 | #4,348 | #4,415 | -1.5% |
| Count | 8,165 | 7,791 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.77 | 2.61 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Palermo bearers went from 8,165 to 7,791 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 67 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,348 to #4,415.
FAQ
Palermo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Palermo?
Name Census estimates that about 8,934 living Americans carry the surname Palermo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,365 residents.
How common is Palermo?
Palermo ranks #4,415 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,791 people with the surname Palermo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,934), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Palermo.
Has Palermo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Palermo went from 8,165 recorded bearers to 7,791. That is a decrease of 374 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,348 to #4,415.
What does the Census say about the background of Palermo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Palermo, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.8%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Palermo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (6,686 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Palermo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.8%), Hispanic (9.8%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Palermo (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 Palermo mean?
From the Italian city of Palermo, the capital of 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 Palermo (2.61 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 Americans have the surname Palermo?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.