2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Pescina
An Italian topographic surname referring to someone from the town of Pescina in Abruzzo.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Pescina. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pescina 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Pescina in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pescina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pescina
The surname "PESCINA" originates from Italy, specifically the town of Pescina in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo. The name is believed to have derived from the Latin word "piscina," meaning "fish pond" or "pool," suggesting that the town's early inhabitants may have been involved in fishing or lived near a body of water.
The earliest known recorded use of the surname dates back to the 13th century, where it appears in several Italian municipal records and legal documents. It is also found in the Codice Diplomatico, a collection of historical documents from the Kingdom of Naples, which mentions a certain Matteo di Pescina in the year 1266.
In the late 14th century, the name Pescina is referenced in the Rationes Decimarum, a papal record of tithes collected from various Italian dioceses. This document lists several individuals with the surname, indicating its presence in various parts of central and southern Italy during that time period.
One notable individual with the surname Pescina was Girolamo Pescina, a 16th-century Italian jurist and professor of law at the University of Perugia. He was born in Pescina in 1510 and passed away in 1587.
Another prominent figure was Antonio Pescina, a 17th-century Italian painter and architect who was active in Naples and Rome. He was born in Pescina in 1605 and is known for his works in churches and palaces throughout Italy.
In the 18th century, Nicola Pescina was a respected Italian mathematician and astronomer. He was born in Pescina in 1721 and is credited with making significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
The surname Pescina also appears in historical records from the nearby town of Celano, which was once part of the Kingdom of Naples. In the 16th century, a family with the surname Pescina held influential positions in the local government and played a role in the town's administration.
Throughout the centuries, the surname Pescina has maintained its presence in various regions of Italy, particularly in the central and southern parts of the country. While its origins can be traced back to the town of Pescina, the name has also been associated with other towns and villages where families bearing the surname have resided over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pescina
Among Census respondents with the surname Pescina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Pescina 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 Pescina surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino97.5% · 116
- White2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pescina
Pescina appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+17 bearers (+16.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 15,644 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+16.7%) | Up 15,644 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 Pescina 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 | #158,432 | #142,788 | 9.9% |
| Count | 102 | 119 | 16.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 32.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pescina bearers went from 102 to 119 (+16.7% change). The surname moved up 15,644 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #142,788.
FAQ
Pescina surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pescina?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Pescina. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Pescina?
Pescina ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Pescina. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Pescina.
Has Pescina become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pescina went from 102 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 17 (+16.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Pescina?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pescina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pescina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pescina appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (97.5%), White (2.5%). 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 Pescina (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 Pescina mean?
An Italian topographic surname referring to someone from the town of Pescina in Abruzzo. 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 Pescina (0.04 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 are called Pescina?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Pescina on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.