2000
#8,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,765
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.40
Rare Last name
Peluso
An Italian occupational surname referring to a furrier or a person who worked with animal pelts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,789 Americans carry the last name Peluso. That puts it at #9,427 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,460 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Peluso 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
3.8K
1 in 90,460
Census rank
#9,427
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,304 bearers of the surname Peluso in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9427th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Peluso, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Peluso
The surname Peluso originates from Italy, with its roots dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "peloso," which means "hairy" or "shaggy." This name was likely given as a nickname or descriptive surname to individuals with abundant hair or a hairy appearance.
The earliest recorded instances of the Peluso surname can be traced back to the 13th century in the regions of Campania and Calabria in southern Italy. These regions were home to numerous noble families and influential figures who bore the name Peluso.
In the 14th century, the Peluso name appeared in several historical documents and records from the Kingdom of Naples. One notable mention was found in the "Codice Diplomatico Barese," a collection of manuscripts and documents from the city of Bari, where a certain Nicola Peluso was mentioned as a landowner and nobleman.
Throughout the centuries, the Peluso surname has been associated with various notable individuals. For instance, Gian Vincenzo Peluso (1566-1638) was a renowned Italian composer and organist who served at the court of the Duke of Mantua. Another prominent figure was Giovanni Battista Peluso (1638-1720), a Neapolitan painter known for his religious works and frescoes adorning churches throughout southern Italy.
In the 18th century, the Peluso name gained further recognition with the birth of Niccolò Peluso (1745-1810), a distinguished Italian mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and served as the director of the Naples Observatory.
Another notable figure was Girolamo Peluso (1824-1891), an Italian politician and lawyer who played a pivotal role in the unification of Italy. He served as a member of the Italian Parliament and was a staunch supporter of the Risorgimento movement.
The Peluso surname has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout Italy. For example, the town of Peluso, located in the province of Salerno, is believed to have derived its name from the presence of families bearing the Peluso surname in the region.
While the Peluso name has its roots in Italy, it has since spread across the globe, carried by Italian emigrants and their descendants. However, this detailed history focuses solely on the surname's origins and notable figures from its Italian heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Peluso
Among Census respondents with the surname Peluso, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Peluso 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 Peluso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 3,026
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 160
- Two or more races2.4% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 27
- Black or African American0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Peluso
Peluso 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
#8,822
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,712
-53 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 707 places
2020
#9,427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,304
-408 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 605 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,115 | 3,765 | 1.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,822 | 3,712 | 1.26 | -53 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 707 places |
| 2020 | #9,427 | 3,304 | 1.11 | -408 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 605 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 Peluso 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 | #8,822 | #9,427 | -6.9% |
| Count | 3,712 | 3,304 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.26 | 1.11 | -12.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Peluso bearers went from 3,712 to 3,304 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 605 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,822 to #9,427.
FAQ
Peluso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Peluso?
Name Census estimates that about 3,789 living Americans carry the surname Peluso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,460 residents.
How common is Peluso?
Peluso ranks #9,427 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.11 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 3,304 people with the surname Peluso. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,789), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.11 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 Peluso.
Has Peluso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Peluso went from 3,712 recorded bearers to 3,304. That is a decrease of 408 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,822 to #9,427.
What does the Census say about the background of Peluso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Peluso, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Peluso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (3,026 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Peluso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Peluso (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 Peluso mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a furrier or a person who worked with animal pelts. 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 Peluso (1.11 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 Americans have the surname Peluso?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.