2000
#19,898
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,249
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.46
Rare Last name
Piceno
Derived from the Piceni, an ancient Italic tribe that inhabited the Marche region of central Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,104 Americans carry the last name Piceno. That puts it at #15,388 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 162,906 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Piceno 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
2.1K
1 in 162,906
Census rank
#15,388
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,835 bearers of the surname Piceno in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15388th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Piceno, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Piceno
The surname "PICENO" originates from Italy and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin word "Picenus," which refers to the ancient region of Picenum, located in central Italy along the Adriatic coast.
The name is believed to have first appeared in historical records around the 11th century, possibly in documents related to the Duchy of Spoleto, which encompassed parts of the Picenum region. During this time, surnames were often derived from geographic locations or regions.
One of the earliest known references to the name "PICENO" can be found in a medieval manuscript from the 13th century, which mentions a nobleman named Guglielmo Piceno. This document suggests that the name was already established among the aristocracy of central Italy during that period.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Giovanni Piceno (1320-1392) was a prominent scholar and philosopher from the city of Ascoli Piceno, which was once part of the ancient Picenum region. He is remembered for his contributions to the study of logic and his works on Aristotelian philosophy.
Another historical figure with the surname "PICENO" was Giacomo Piceno (1445-1509), a Renaissance painter from the town of Montalto delle Marche, located in the Piceno region. His most notable works include frescoes in various churches and palaces throughout central Italy.
During the 16th century, a branch of the Piceno family settled in the city of Venice, where they became influential merchants and traders. One member, Marcantonio Piceno (1520-1589), was a renowned banker and financier who played a crucial role in facilitating trade between Venice and the Ottoman Empire.
In the 18th century, a notable figure named Pietro Piceno (1725-1798) was a respected jurist and legal scholar from the town of Fermo, once part of the ancient Picenum region. He authored several influential works on civil law and served as a judge in the Papal States.
Throughout its history, the surname "PICENO" has maintained strong connections to the central Italian region from which it originated, appearing in various historical records, manuscripts, and accounts related to the area's prominent families, scholars, artists, and professionals.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Piceno
Among Census respondents with the surname Piceno, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Piceno 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 Piceno surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.2% · 1,728
- White3.7% · 67
- Two or more races0.8% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 11
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Piceno
Piceno 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
#15,232
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,932
+683 bearers (+54.7%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 4,666 places
2020
#15,388
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,835
-97 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 156 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,898 | 1,249 | 0.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,232 | 1,932 | 0.65 | +683 bearers (+54.7%) | Up 4,666 places |
| 2020 | #15,388 | 1,835 | 0.61 | -97 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 156 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 Piceno 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 | #15,232 | #15,388 | -1.0% |
| Count | 1,932 | 1,835 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.61 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Piceno bearers went from 1,932 to 1,835 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 156 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,232 to #15,388.
FAQ
Piceno surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Piceno?
Name Census estimates that about 2,104 living Americans carry the surname Piceno. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 162,906 residents.
How common is Piceno?
Piceno ranks #15,388 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,835 people with the surname Piceno. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,104), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Piceno.
Has Piceno become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Piceno went from 1,932 recorded bearers to 1,835. That is a decrease of 97 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,232 to #15,388.
What does the Census say about the background of Piceno?
Among Census respondents with the surname Piceno, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Piceno in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (1,728 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Piceno appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.2%), White (3.7%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Piceno (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 Piceno mean?
Derived from the Piceni, an ancient Italic tribe that inhabited the Marche region of central Italy. 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 Piceno (0.61 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 Piceno?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.