2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pantalena
An Italian surname derived from a nickname meaning "little cotton pants".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Pantalena. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pantalena 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Pantalena in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pantalena, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pantalena
The surname Pantalena originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "pantalena," which referred to a type of long, loose-fitting garment worn by both men and women. The name likely indicated that the family's ancestors may have been involved in the production or sale of these garments.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Pantalena can be found in a document from the Republic of Venice dated 1367, which mentions a merchant named Giovanni Pantalena. This suggests that the name was already established in the Venetian region by the 14th century.
In the 15th century, the Pantalena family seemed to have established a presence in the city of Naples, as evidenced by a record from 1492 mentioning a nobleman named Giacomo Pantalena. This branch of the family may have originated from the Campania region or migrated there from the north.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure with the surname Pantalena was Cesare Pantalena (1510-1587), a renowned painter and fresco artist from Florence. His works can still be seen in various churches and palaces throughout Tuscany.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Pantalena family settled in the island of Sicily. One of their descendants, Antonio Pantalena (1634-1702), became a respected scholar and author, known for his writings on Sicilian history and culture.
Another notable figure with this surname was Gio Battista Pantalena (1784-1862), a military officer from the Piedmont region who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later rose to the rank of general in the Kingdom of Sardinia.
Throughout the centuries, the Pantalena surname has been found in various regions of Italy, with slight variations in spelling, such as Pantaleni, Pantaleoni, or Pantaleone. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in the Italian word "pantalena" and its association with a type of clothing.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pantalena
Among Census respondents with the surname Pantalena, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pantalena 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 Pantalena surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.3% · 108
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pantalena
Pantalena 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+18 bearers (+18.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,296 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-7 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,525 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+18.0%) | Up 9,296 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 7,525 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 Pantalena 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 | #141,140 | #148,665 | -5.3% |
| Count | 118 | 111 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pantalena bearers went from 118 to 111 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 7,525 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #148,665.
FAQ
Pantalena surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pantalena?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Pantalena. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Pantalena?
Pantalena ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Pantalena. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Pantalena.
Has Pantalena become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pantalena went from 118 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Pantalena?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pantalena, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Pantalena in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pantalena appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.3%), Two or More Races (1.8%), Black (0.9%). 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 Pantalena (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 Pantalena mean?
An Italian surname derived from a nickname meaning "little cotton pants". 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 Pantalena (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 Americans have the surname Pantalena?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.