2000
#10,802
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,710
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Pesce
An Italian occupational surname referring to a fisherman or fish seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,085 Americans carry the last name Pesce. That puts it at #11,235 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,104 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pesce 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
3.1K
1 in 111,104
Census rank
#11,235
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,690 bearers of the surname Pesce in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11235th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pesce, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pesce
The surname PESCE has its origins in Italy, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "pesce," which means "fish." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational name for someone who worked as a fisherman or a fish monger.
During the Middle Ages, many Italian surnames emerged from occupations, physical characteristics, or place names. The PESCE surname likely originated in coastal regions of Italy, where fishing was a common trade and livelihood.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PESCE surname can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Longobardo, a collection of documents from the Lombard period in Italy, dating back to the 8th century. This suggests that the name has a long history and was established in various parts of the Italian peninsula by the early medieval era.
In the 14th century, a notable figure with the PESCE surname was Galeazzo Pesce, a Genoese merchant and explorer who is credited with introducing the art of silk production to the city of Genoa. His travels and contributions to the silk trade helped establish Genoa as a center for silk manufacturing in the late Middle Ages.
Another prominent individual with the PESCE surname was Nicolò Pesce, a Venetian diplomat and ambassador who lived in the 15th century. He served as the ambassador of the Republic of Venice to the court of Pope Sixtus IV and played a crucial role in negotiating treaties and maintaining diplomatic relations between Venice and the Papal States.
In the 16th century, Giacomo Pesce was a renowned Italian architect and engineer who worked on various fortifications and architectural projects in the city of Siena. His most notable work is the Fortezza Medicea, a Renaissance-era fortress designed to defend the city.
During the 17th century, Francesco Pesce was a celebrated Italian painter and fresco artist. He was actively commissioned by churches and noble families in Rome and Naples to create religious artworks and decorative frescoes, contributing significantly to the Italian Baroque art movement.
In the 18th century, Giambattista Pesce was a prominent Italian jurist and legal scholar. He served as a judge and authored several influential treatises on civil law, which were widely studied and referenced in legal circles across Italy.
Throughout its history, the PESCE surname has been associated with various professions and achievements, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of individuals bearing this name across different regions of Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pesce
Among Census respondents with the surname Pesce, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Pesce 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 Pesce surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 2,419
- Hispanic or Latino7.4% · 198
- Two or more races1.5% · 40
- Black or African American0.7% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pesce
Pesce 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
#11,174
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,830
+120 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 372 places
2020
#11,235
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,690
-140 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 61 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,802 | 2,710 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,174 | 2,830 | 0.96 | +120 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 372 places |
| 2020 | #11,235 | 2,690 | 0.90 | -140 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 61 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 Pesce 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 | #11,174 | #11,235 | -0.5% |
| Count | 2,830 | 2,690 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 0.90 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pesce bearers went from 2,830 to 2,690 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 61 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,174 to #11,235.
FAQ
Pesce surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pesce?
Name Census estimates that about 3,085 living Americans carry the surname Pesce. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,104 residents.
How common is Pesce?
Pesce ranks #11,235 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,690 people with the surname Pesce. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,085), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Pesce.
Has Pesce become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pesce went from 2,830 recorded bearers to 2,690. That is a decrease of 140 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,174 to #11,235.
What does the Census say about the background of Pesce?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pesce, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Pesce in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (2,419 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pesce appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (7.4%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Pesce (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 Pesce mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a fisherman or fish seller. 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 Pesce (0.90 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 surname Pesce?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.