2000
#8,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,809
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.41
Rare Last name
Pellegrini
An Italian occupational surname referring to a pilgrim or someone who had gone on a religious pilgrimage.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,417 Americans carry the last name Pellegrini. That puts it at #8,237 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,599 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pellegrini 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 Pellegrini with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 77,599
Census rank
#8,237
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,852 bearers of the surname Pellegrini in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8237th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pellegrini, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pellegrini
The surname Pellegrini is of Italian origin, derived from the word "pellegrino" which means "pilgrim" in Italian. It is believed to have originated in the medieval period when people began taking surnames based on their occupations or personal characteristics.
Pellegrini was a surname given to those who traveled as pilgrims or to people who lived near a pilgrim's route or hostel. The name is most commonly found in central and northern Italy, particularly in regions like Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, and Lombardy.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Pellegrini can be traced back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Giacomo Pellegrini, a prominent merchant from Florence who lived in the late 13th century.
In the 14th century, a notable figure with this surname was Bindo Pellegrini, a respected lawyer and judge from Siena who served as a magistrate and played a crucial role in the city's governance during that time.
During the Renaissance period, the Pellegrini family produced several notable artists and intellectuals. One of the most famous was Pellegrino Pellegrini (1527-1596), a renowned painter and architect from Bologna who worked on various churches and palaces in Italy.
Another prominent bearer of this surname was Carlo Pellegrini (1839-1889), an Italian-born British caricaturist and writer who was known for his satirical illustrations published in the magazine Vanity Fair.
In the 20th century, one of the most celebrated figures with the Pellegrini surname was Carlo Pellegrini (1903-1992), an Italian architect and designer who played a significant role in the development of modern Italian architecture.
While the Pellegrini surname is most prevalent in Italy, it has also spread to other parts of the world through immigration, particularly to countries like the United States, Argentina, and Australia, where significant Italian communities have settled.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pellegrini
Among Census respondents with the surname Pellegrini, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Pellegrini 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 Pellegrini surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 3,488
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 236
- Two or more races2.2% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 27
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pellegrini
Pellegrini 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
#8,263
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,011
+202 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 232 places
2020
#8,237
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,852
-159 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Up 26 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,031 | 3,809 | 1.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,263 | 4,011 | 1.36 | +202 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 232 places |
| 2020 | #8,237 | 3,852 | 1.29 | -159 bearers (-4.0%) | Up 26 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 Pellegrini 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 | #8,263 | #8,237 | 0.3% |
| Count | 4,011 | 3,852 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.36 | 1.29 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pellegrini bearers went from 4,011 to 3,852 (-4.0% change). The surname moved up 26 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,263 to #8,237.
FAQ
Pellegrini surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pellegrini?
Name Census estimates that about 4,417 living Americans carry the surname Pellegrini. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,599 residents.
How common is Pellegrini?
Pellegrini ranks #8,237 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.29 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 3,852 people with the surname Pellegrini. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,417), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.29 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 Pellegrini.
Has Pellegrini become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pellegrini went from 4,011 recorded bearers to 3,852. That is a decrease of 159 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,263 to #8,237.
What does the Census say about the background of Pellegrini?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pellegrini, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Pellegrini in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (3,488 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pellegrini appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (6.1%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Pellegrini (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 Pellegrini mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a pilgrim or someone who had gone on a religious pilgrimage. 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 Pellegrini (1.29 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 Pellegrini?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Pellegrini on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.