2000
#9,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,017
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.12
Rare Last name
Parente
An Italian occupational surname referring to a relative, kinsman, or parent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,422 Americans carry the last name Parente. That puts it at #10,275 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,162 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parente 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 Parente with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 100,162
Census rank
#10,275
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,984 bearers of the surname Parente in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10275th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parente, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parente
The surname Parente originated in Italy, specifically in the southern regions of Campania and Puglia. It is derived from the Italian word "parente," which means "relative" or "kinsman." This name likely emerged during the Middle Ages as a descriptive identifier for someone who was closely related to a prominent family or individual.
One of the earliest records of the Parente surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Campania region, dating back to the 11th century. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time.
The Parente surname has a long and distinguished history in Italy. In the 14th century, a nobleman named Guglielmo Parente (1280-1348) served as a prominent jurist and diplomat in the Kingdom of Naples. Another notable figure was Girolamo Parente (1548-1599), a Catholic priest and theologian from Naples who authored several influential works on moral philosophy.
During the Renaissance period, the Parente family gained prominence in the city of Lecce, Puglia. Pietro Parente (1505-1570) was a renowned architect and sculptor who contributed to the unique Baroque style of the region. His son, Gabriele Parente (1545-1627), followed in his footsteps and became a celebrated sculptor and architect in his own right.
In more recent history, one of the most famous individuals with the Parente surname was Pietro Parente (1891-1986), an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Secretary of the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office (now known as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) from 1959 to 1968.
Another notable figure was Antonio Parente (1900-1986), an Italian diplomat and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy from 1963 to 1964. He played a crucial role in strengthening Italy's relations with other European nations during the post-World War II period.
The Parente surname has also been found in various spellings throughout history, such as Parenti, Parentes, and Parentis, reflecting regional variations and linguistic influences. Additionally, some Parente families may have originated from or been associated with specific place names, although definitive records of such connections are scarce.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parente
Among Census respondents with the surname Parente, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Parente 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 Parente surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 2,622
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 228
- Two or more races2.5% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 47
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parente
Parente 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
#10,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,170
+153 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 304 places
2020
#10,275
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,984
-186 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 99 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,872 | 3,017 | 1.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,176 | 3,170 | 1.07 | +153 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 304 places |
| 2020 | #10,275 | 2,984 | 1.00 | -186 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 99 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 Parente 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 | #10,176 | #10,275 | -1.0% |
| Count | 3,170 | 2,984 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 1.00 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parente bearers went from 3,170 to 2,984 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 99 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,176 to #10,275.
FAQ
Parente surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parente?
Name Census estimates that about 3,422 living Americans carry the surname Parente. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,162 residents.
How common is Parente?
Parente ranks #10,275 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 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 2,984 people with the surname Parente. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,422), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 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 Parente.
Has Parente become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parente went from 3,170 recorded bearers to 2,984. That is a decrease of 186 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,176 to #10,275.
What does the Census say about the background of Parente?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parente, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) 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 Parente in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (2,622 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parente appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Hispanic (7.6%), 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 Parente (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 Parente mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a relative, kinsman, or parent. 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 Parente (1.00 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 common is the surname Parente?
Want to know how many people have the surname Parente? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.