2000
#7,749
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,953
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.47
Rare Last name
Palladino
Derived from the Italian word "pallado," meaning "to protect," likely referring to a guardian or protector.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,456 Americans carry the last name Palladino. That puts it at #8,152 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,920 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Palladino 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 Palladino with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,920
Census rank
#8,152
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,886 bearers of the surname Palladino in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8152nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Palladino, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Palladino
The surname Palladino is of Italian origin and traces its roots back to the Italian peninsula during the medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Italy, particularly in the regions of Campania and Calabria.
Palladino is derived from the Latin word "palladius," which is connected to the mythological figure Pallas Athena, the goddess of wisdom and warfare in ancient Greek mythology. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who possessed wisdom, intelligence, or perhaps even military prowess.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Palladino can be found in the historical archives of the city of Naples, dating back to the 13th century. In these documents, a certain Giovanni Palladino is mentioned as a prominent merchant and landowner in the region.
During the Renaissance period, the Palladino name gained further prominence with the birth of Giulio Cesare Palladino (1548-1630), a renowned Italian architect and engineer who contributed significantly to the design and construction of several notable buildings and fortifications in Naples and other parts of southern Italy.
In the 18th century, the name Palladino was associated with the birth of Bernardo Palladino (1735-1813), a influential Italian philosopher and theologian who was known for his writings on ethics and moral philosophy.
Another notable figure bearing the Palladino surname was Eusapia Palladino (1854-1918), an Italian spiritualist and alleged psychic medium who gained widespread attention for her controversial séances and claimed paranormal abilities.
The Palladino name has also been associated with various place names and geographical locations throughout Italy, particularly in the southern regions. For instance, the town of Palladino in the province of Campobasso, and the Palladino Valley in the region of Calabria, both bear resemblance to this surname.
Throughout its long history, the Palladino surname has been recorded with various spelling variations, such as Palladini, Palladin, and Palladino, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic variations present in different parts of Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Palladino
Among Census respondents with the surname Palladino, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Palladino 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 Palladino surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 3,638
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 129
- Two or more races2.1% · 81
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 22
- Black or African American0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Palladino
Palladino 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
#8,042
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,115
+162 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Down 293 places
2020
#8,152
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,886
-229 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,749 | 3,953 | 1.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,042 | 4,115 | 1.40 | +162 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 293 places |
| 2020 | #8,152 | 3,886 | 1.30 | -229 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 110 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 Palladino 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 | #8,042 | #8,152 | -1.4% |
| Count | 4,115 | 3,886 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.40 | 1.30 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Palladino bearers went from 4,115 to 3,886 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 110 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,042 to #8,152.
FAQ
Palladino surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Palladino?
Name Census estimates that about 4,456 living Americans carry the surname Palladino. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,920 residents.
How common is Palladino?
Palladino ranks #8,152 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 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 3,886 people with the surname Palladino. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,456), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 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 Palladino.
Has Palladino become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Palladino went from 4,115 recorded bearers to 3,886. That is a decrease of 229 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,042 to #8,152.
What does the Census say about the background of Palladino?
Among Census respondents with the surname Palladino, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) 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 Palladino in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (3,638 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Palladino appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (3.3%), 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 Palladino (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 Palladino mean?
Derived from the Italian word "pallado," meaning "to protect," likely referring to a guardian or protector. 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 Palladino (1.30 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 Palladino?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.