Papillo last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Papillo is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Papillo.

Meaning of Papillo

A surname likely derived from the Italian word 'papilio,' meaning butterfly.

Papillo, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Papillo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Papillo in America

Papillo is the 146201st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Papillo surname appeared 113 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Papillo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Papillo to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 146201 144908 0.89%
Count 113 105 7.34%
Proportion per 100k 0.04 0.04 0.00%

The history of the last name Papillo

The surname Papillo has its origins in the Italian language and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated from the northern regions of Italy, particularly in the areas around Genoa and Pisa, where it was first recorded.

The name Papillo is thought to be derived from the Italian word "papilio," which means "butterfly." This could suggest that the name may have been given to someone who had a fascination with butterflies or perhaps worked with them in some capacity.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Papillo can be found in the Florentine Codex, a 16th-century ethnographic work that documented the history and customs of the Aztec people. In this text, a man named Giovanni Papillo is mentioned as being part of an expedition to the New World in the early 1500s.

During the Renaissance period, a family of artists and sculptors from Genoa carried the surname Papillo. The most notable among them was Antonio Papillo (1472-1538), who was renowned for his intricate marble sculptures and worked on various commissions for churches and noble families throughout Italy.

In the late 17th century, a merchant named Luca Papillo (1649-1712) from Pisa gained prominence for his successful trading ventures in the Mediterranean region. His business dealings and wealth allowed him to establish a lineage of Papillos that continued for several generations.

Another notable figure with the surname Papillo was Maria Papillo (1789-1867), a renowned opera singer from Naples who performed in many of the prestigious theaters across Europe during the early 19th century.

The name Papillo has been recorded in various historical documents throughout the centuries, appearing in records of property transactions, legal documents, and even in literary works from authors of the time. While the name may have evolved in spelling or pronunciation over the years, it has maintained its Italian roots and connection to the butterfly motif.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Papillo

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Papillo.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Papillo was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 99.12% 112
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.00% 0
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Papillo has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 99.12% 99.00% 0.12%
Black (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Hispanic (S)% 0.00% (S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Papillo was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Papillo, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Papillo last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on June 13, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/papillo-surname-popularity/.

"Papillo last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/papillo-surname-popularity/. Accessed 13 June, 2025

Papillo last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/papillo-surname-popularity/.

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