2000
#4,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,237
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.68
Rare Last name
Pellegrino
An Italian surname referring to a pilgrim or one who has traveled to the Holy Land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,042 Americans carry the last name Pellegrino. That puts it at #4,880 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pellegrino 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 Pellegrino with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.0K
1 in 42,621
Census rank
#4,880
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,013 bearers of the surname Pellegrino in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4880th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pellegrino, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pellegrino
The surname Pellegrino is of Italian origin, deriving from the Italian word "pellegrino" which means "pilgrim." It first emerged in the regions of Italy during the Middle Ages, a time when pilgrimages to holy sites were common.
The earliest known historical record of the surname Pellegrino dates back to the late 13th century in the city of Florence. In 1289, a document from the Florentine archives mentions a certain "Guido Pellegrino," a merchant involved in the wool trade.
Over the centuries, the Pellegrino name spread to other parts of Italy, with notable bearers including Giovanni Pellegrino (1519-1596), a renowned Italian jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor at the University of Padua. Another prominent figure was Camillo Pellegrino (1598-1663), an Italian painter known for his religious works and frescoes in churches throughout Rome and Naples.
In the 16th century, the surname Pellegrino was found in the village of Pellegrino Parmense, located in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. It is believed that the village's name, which translates to "Pilgrim of Parma," may have influenced the surname's origins.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Pellegrino surname outside of Italy was in Spain, where it was documented as "Pelegrino" in the 15th century. This variation likely emerged due to the influence of Spanish orthography on the Italian name.
Another notable bearer of the Pellegrino surname was Gabriele Pellegrino Termine (1737-1808), an Italian philosopher and writer who advocated for the separation of church and state. Additionally, Vincenzo Pellegrino (1762-1842) was an Italian composer and violinist who served as the director of the Royal Chapel in Naples.
While the surname Pellegrino has its roots in Italy, it has since spread worldwide, with bearers found in various countries, particularly those with significant Italian immigrant populations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pellegrino
Among Census respondents with the surname Pellegrino, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pellegrino 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 Pellegrino surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 6,458
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 355
- Two or more races1.7% · 116
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 43
- Black or African American0.4% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pellegrino
Pellegrino 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
#4,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,398
+161 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 2.51
Rank movement Down 269 places
2020
#4,880
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,013
-385 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 2.35
Rank movement Down 99 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,512 | 7,237 | 2.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,781 | 7,398 | 2.51 | +161 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 269 places |
| 2020 | #4,880 | 7,013 | 2.35 | -385 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 99 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 Pellegrino 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 | #4,781 | #4,880 | -2.1% |
| Count | 7,398 | 7,013 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.51 | 2.35 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pellegrino bearers went from 7,398 to 7,013 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 99 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,781 to #4,880.
FAQ
Pellegrino surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pellegrino?
Name Census estimates that about 8,042 living Americans carry the surname Pellegrino. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,621 residents.
How common is Pellegrino?
Pellegrino ranks #4,880 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,013 people with the surname Pellegrino. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,042), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Pellegrino.
Has Pellegrino become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pellegrino went from 7,398 recorded bearers to 7,013. That is a decrease of 385 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,781 to #4,880.
What does the Census say about the background of Pellegrino?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pellegrino, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Pellegrino in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (6,458 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pellegrino appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Pellegrino (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 Pellegrino mean?
An Italian surname referring to a pilgrim or one who has traveled to the Holy Land. 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 Pellegrino (2.35 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 Pellegrino?
You can see how many people are called Pellegrino on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.