2000
#9,039
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,325
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.23
Rare Last name
Palmisano
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who makes or sells palm leaves or palm-leaf products.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,652 Americans carry the last name Palmisano. That puts it at #9,724 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 93,854 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Palmisano 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 93,854
Census rank
#9,724
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,185 bearers of the surname Palmisano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9724th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Palmisano, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Palmisano
The surname Palmisano originates from Italy, specifically in the southern regions of Calabria and Sicily. It is believed to have derived from the word 'palma', which means 'palm tree' in Italian, likely referencing an ancestral connection to a location with an abundance of palm trees or a profession related to palm cultivation.
The earliest recorded instances of the Palmisano surname can be traced back to the 16th century in various historical documents and municipal records from towns across southern Italy. One notable mention is found in the "Codice Diplomatico Barese" from 1592, which documents a certain Gaspare Palmisano from the city of Bari.
In the 17th century, the Palmisano name appeared in the records of the Archivio di Stato di Napoli, with references to families residing in the regions of Calabria and Sicily. One prominent figure was Giuseppe Palmisano, a landowner and merchant from the town of Palmi in Calabria, who lived between 1625 and 1698.
As the surname spread throughout Italy, it also found its way into historical records and literature. In the 18th century, the Italian poet and writer Giovanni Battista Palmisano (1720-1792) from Cosenza, Calabria, gained recognition for his works in the Neapolitan dialect.
The 19th century saw the emergence of several notable individuals bearing the Palmisano name. One such figure was Gaetano Palmisano (1807-1875), a lawyer and politician from Reggio Calabria, who served as a member of the Italian Parliament during the early years of the unified Kingdom of Italy.
Another prominent individual was Francesco Palmisano (1854-1923), an Italian businessman and philanthropist from Bari. He founded the Palmisano Winery, which played a significant role in the development of the local wine industry and economic growth of the region.
In more recent times, the Palmisano surname has continued to be associated with various fields, including the arts, academia, and sports. For instance, Salvatore Palmisano (1928-2007) was a renowned Italian painter and sculptor from Sicily, known for his abstract expressionist works.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Palmisano
Among Census respondents with the surname Palmisano, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Palmisano 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 Palmisano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 2,929
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 142
- Two or more races2.5% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 17
- Black or African American0.3% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Palmisano
Palmisano 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
#9,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,363
+38 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 609 places
2020
#9,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,185
-178 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 76 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,039 | 3,325 | 1.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,648 | 3,363 | 1.14 | +38 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 609 places |
| 2020 | #9,724 | 3,185 | 1.07 | -178 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 76 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 Palmisano 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 | #9,648 | #9,724 | -0.8% |
| Count | 3,363 | 3,185 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 1.07 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Palmisano bearers went from 3,363 to 3,185 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 76 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,648 to #9,724.
FAQ
Palmisano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Palmisano?
Name Census estimates that about 3,652 living Americans carry the surname Palmisano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 93,854 residents.
How common is Palmisano?
Palmisano ranks #9,724 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.07 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 3,185 people with the surname Palmisano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,652), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.07 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 Palmisano.
Has Palmisano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Palmisano went from 3,363 recorded bearers to 3,185. That is a decrease of 178 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,648 to #9,724.
What does the Census say about the background of Palmisano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Palmisano, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Palmisano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (2,929 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Palmisano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Palmisano (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 Palmisano mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who makes or sells palm leaves or palm-leaf products. 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 Palmisano (1.07 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 Palmisano?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.