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

Paterno, 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 Paterno surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Paterno in America

Paterno is the 20512th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Paterno surname appeared 1,293 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 Paterno.

We can also compare 2010 data for Paterno 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.

The history of the last name Paterno

The surname Paterno originated from Italy, specifically in the regions of Sicily and Campania, during the late medieval period around the 13th to 15th centuries. It is derived from the Italian word "paterno," which means "paternal" or "fatherly," suggesting that the name may have been initially given to someone who was considered a patriarch or the head of a family or community.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Paterno surname can be found in the Sicilian town of Noto, where a noble family bearing this name held significant influence and power during the 14th century. The Paterno family played a prominent role in the political and cultural affairs of Sicily during this time. Some notable members include Giovanni Paterno, a renowned poet and philosopher who lived in the late 15th century, and Gaspare Paterno, a respected jurist and statesman who served as a magistrate in Palermo in the late 16th century.

The Paterno surname also has a strong connection to the city of Naples in the Campania region. Historical records from the 16th and 17th centuries mention several prominent Paterno families who held positions of authority and influence in the city's government and religious institutions. One notable figure was Vincenzo Paterno, a renowned architect who designed several churches and palaces in Naples during the late 16th century.

Outside of Italy, the Paterno surname can be traced back to the Spanish colonization of the Philippines in the 16th and 17th centuries. Several Spanish settlers with the Paterno surname established themselves in the Philippines, and the name became integrated into the local population. One of the most famous Paterno families in Philippine history was the Paterno clan, which played a significant role in the country's politics and business affairs during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Notable members include Pedro Paterno, a renowned writer, politician, and one of the founders of the Nacionalista Party, who lived from 1857 to 1911, and his son, Rafael Paterno, a prominent businessman and politician who served as the first Filipino to be elected to the Philippine Assembly in 1907.

Another notable figure with the Paterno surname was Giuseppe Paterno, an Italian mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1661 to 1733. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and was the first person to observe and document the transit of Mercury across the sun's disk in 1677.

The Paterno surname has also been associated with several historical figures in other parts of Europe, such as Juan Paterno, a Spanish painter and engraver who lived in the late 16th century, and Joseph Paterno, a French writer and historian who lived in the late 17th century and authored several works on the history of France and Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Paterno

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

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 Paterno was:

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

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!