2000
#9,238
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,246
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Pecoraro
An occupational surname referring to a shepherd or sheep farmer, derived from the Italian word "pecora" meaning sheep.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,588 Americans carry the last name Pecoraro. That puts it at #9,863 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 95,528 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pecoraro 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
3.6K
1 in 95,528
Census rank
#9,863
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,129 bearers of the surname Pecoraro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9863rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pecoraro, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pecoraro
The surname Pecoraro originates from Italy, specifically from the Italian word "pecora," which means "sheep." This name likely emerged during the medieval period, referring to someone who tended or herded sheep for a living.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Pecoraro can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Italy, such as Sicily, Calabria, and Campania. The name was often associated with rural areas where sheep farming was a common occupation.
In the 14th century, the name Pecoraro appeared in several historical documents, including tax records and property deeds. For instance, a certain Giovanni Pecoraro was mentioned in a land transfer document dated 1387 in the town of Palermo, Sicily.
During the Renaissance period, the Pecoraro family gained prominence in various parts of Italy. One notable figure was Francesco Pecoraro, a renowned architect from Naples who lived from 1505 to 1582. He was responsible for designing several churches and palaces in the city, including the Church of Santa Maria della Consolazione.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Pecoraro family settled in the town of Marsala, Sicily. This branch produced several notable individuals, including Vincenzo Pecoraro (1622-1698), a respected jurist and scholar known for his contributions to the study of Roman law.
Another prominent figure with the surname Pecoraro was Giuseppe Pecoraro (1785-1849), a Sicilian painter and sculptor who gained recognition for his religious works and portraiture. His paintings can be found in various churches and museums across Sicily.
In the 19th century, the Pecoraro name was associated with the Italian unification movement. Gaetano Pecoraro (1818-1892), a patriot and soldier, fought alongside Giuseppe Garibaldi during the Expedition of the Thousand, which played a crucial role in the unification of Italy.
Throughout history, the surname Pecoraro has been found in various spellings, such as Pecoraio, Pecorajo, and Pecorari, reflecting regional variations and linguistic changes over time. Additionally, the name has been linked to certain place names, such as Pecoraro Scanio, a town in the province of Salerno, Italy, which likely derived its name from the presence of sheep herders in the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pecoraro
Among Census respondents with the surname Pecoraro, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Pecoraro 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 Pecoraro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 2,882
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 167
- Two or more races1.6% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 19
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pecoraro
Pecoraro 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
#9,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,362
+116 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 414 places
2020
#9,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,129
-233 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 211 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,238 | 3,246 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,652 | 3,362 | 1.14 | +116 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 414 places |
| 2020 | #9,863 | 3,129 | 1.05 | -233 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 211 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 Pecoraro 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 | #9,652 | #9,863 | -2.2% |
| Count | 3,362 | 3,129 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 1.05 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pecoraro bearers went from 3,362 to 3,129 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 211 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,652 to #9,863.
FAQ
Pecoraro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pecoraro?
Name Census estimates that about 3,588 living Americans carry the surname Pecoraro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 95,528 residents.
How common is Pecoraro?
Pecoraro ranks #9,863 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.05 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 3,129 people with the surname Pecoraro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,588), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.05 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 Pecoraro.
Has Pecoraro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pecoraro went from 3,362 recorded bearers to 3,129. That is a decrease of 233 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,652 to #9,863.
What does the Census say about the background of Pecoraro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pecoraro, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Pecoraro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (2,882 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pecoraro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (5.3%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Pecoraro (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 Pecoraro mean?
An occupational surname referring to a shepherd or sheep farmer, derived from the Italian word "pecora" meaning sheep. 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 Pecoraro (1.05 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 have the last name Pecoraro?
See how common the surname Pecoraro is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.