Passantino last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Passantino

A surname derived from the Italian word "passante", meaning passer-by or wanderer.

Passantino, 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 Passantino surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Passantino in America

Passantino is the 36970th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Passantino surname appeared 604 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 Passantino.

We can also compare 2010 data for Passantino 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 36970 34554 6.76%
Count 604 620 -2.61%
Proportion per 100k 0.20 0.23 -13.95%

The history of the last name Passantino

The surname Passantino is of Italian origin, specifically from the regions of Sicily and Calabria. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "passante," which means "passer-by" or "traveler." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who frequently traveled or lived a nomadic lifestyle.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Passantino can be found in the Sicilian town of Messina, where a family with that name is mentioned in a document dated back to the 15th century. In the town's archives, there are records of a Passantino family residing in the area during the late 1400s.

In the 16th century, the surname Passantino appears in several historical records from the town of Reggio Calabria, located in the southern region of Calabria. These records indicate that a family with that name had established themselves in the area and played a role in the local community.

Interestingly, there are also references to a variation of the spelling, "Passantini," which was more commonly used in the northern regions of Italy, particularly in the areas around Milan and Genoa. This suggests that the name may have spread from its southern Italian roots to other parts of the country over time.

One notable individual bearing the surname Passantino was Giovanni Passantino, a Italian artist and sculptor who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Born in Messina, Sicily, in 1570, Passantino is renowned for his intricate marble sculptures that adorned many churches and public buildings throughout Italy.

Another significant figure was Maria Passantino, a Sicilian writer and poet who lived in the 18th century. Born in Palermo in 1725, she gained recognition for her poetic works that often explored themes of love, nature, and the human experience.

In the 19th century, Giuseppe Passantino, a politician and lawyer from Reggio Calabria, played a prominent role in the Italian unification movement, advocating for the unification of the various Italian states under a single kingdom.

The early 20th century saw the rise of Vincenzo Passantino, a renowned Italian architect and urban planner who contributed significantly to the development of modern cities in Italy. Born in Messina in 1892, his designs and urban planning projects can be found in cities like Rome and Naples.

Finally, in more recent times, Antonio Passantino, a Sicilian author and historian, has gained recognition for his works on the history and culture of Sicily. Born in Palermo in 1932, his books and research have shed light on the rich heritage of the region and its people.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Passantino

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

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 Passantino was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.70% 572
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.99% 6
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.66% 10
Hispanic Origin 2.15% 13

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 Passantino has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.70% 96.45% -1.83%
Black (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.99% 1.61% -47.69%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.66% 0.97% 52.47%
Hispanic 2.15% 0.97% 75.64%

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 Passantino was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Passantino, 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!

"Passantino last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 9, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/passantino-surname-popularity/.

"Passantino last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/passantino-surname-popularity/. Accessed 9 July, 2025

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

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