2000
#34,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 620
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Very Rare Last name
Passantino
A surname derived from the Italian word "passante", meaning passer-by or wanderer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 681 Americans carry the last name Passantino. That puts it at #39,885 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 503,310 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Passantino 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
681
1 in 503,310
Census rank
#39,885
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
594
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 594 bearers of the surname Passantino in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 39885th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Passantino, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Passantino
Among Census respondents with the surname Passantino, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Passantino 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 Passantino surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 539
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 29
- Two or more races3.4% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 4
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Passantino
Passantino 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
#36,970
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 604
-16 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 2,416 places
2020
#39,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 594
-10 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 2,915 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #34,554 | 620 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #36,970 | 604 | 0.20 | -16 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 2,416 places |
| 2020 | #39,885 | 594 | 0.20 | -10 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 2,915 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 Passantino 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 | #36,970 | #39,885 | -7.9% |
| Count | 604 | 594 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.20 | 0.20 | -0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Passantino bearers went from 604 to 594 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 2,915 positions in the national ranking, going from #36,970 to #39,885.
FAQ
Passantino surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Passantino?
Name Census estimates that about 681 living Americans carry the surname Passantino. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 503,310 residents.
How common is Passantino?
Passantino ranks #39,885 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.20 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 594 people with the surname Passantino. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (681), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.20 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 Passantino.
Has Passantino become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Passantino went from 604 recorded bearers to 594. That is a decrease of 10 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #36,970 to #39,885.
What does the Census say about the background of Passantino?
Among Census respondents with the surname Passantino, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Passantino in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (539 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Passantino appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (4.9%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Passantino (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 Passantino mean?
A surname derived from the Italian word "passante", meaning passer-by or wanderer. 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 Passantino (0.20 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 share the surname Passantino?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.