2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pilati
An Italian surname derived from the Latin "pilatus" meaning bald or hairy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Pilati. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pilati 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Pilati in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pilati, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pilati
The surname Pilati is of Italian origin, derived from the Latin word "pilatus," which means "bald" or "having a bald head." It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, possibly as a nickname for someone who was bald or had a distinctive bald patch.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Pilati can be found in the Venetian archives from the 13th century, where a certain Giacomo Pilati was listed as a merchant and citizen of Venice. During this time, Venice was a thriving maritime republic and a major center of trade and commerce in the Mediterranean region.
In the 14th century, the Pilati family gained prominence in the city of Treviso, located in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Several members of the family held influential positions within the local government and were involved in various cultural and intellectual pursuits.
A notable figure from this era was Francesco Pilati (1335-1412), a renowned scholar and author who wrote extensively on topics such as philosophy, theology, and jurisprudence. His works were widely circulated and studied throughout Italy and beyond.
The Pilati surname can also be found in historical records from the region of Lombardy, particularly in the city of Milan. In the 16th century, a branch of the family resided in the town of Monza, where they were engaged in various professions, including law, medicine, and the clergy.
One of the most famous individuals bearing the Pilati name was Carlo Antonio Pilati (1733-1802), an Italian historian and writer who spent a significant part of his life in Poland. He authored several works on Polish history and culture, including his seminal work "The History of the Polish People and Their Customs."
Another notable figure was Bartolomeo Pilati (1662-1726), an Italian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics. He served as a professor at the University of Padua and was a member of the prestigious Accademia dei Lincei.
In the 19th century, the Pilati family continued to play a role in Italian society, with members serving in various professions and disciplines. Giuseppe Pilati (1786-1858) was a renowned architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings and public spaces in the city of Milan.
Throughout its history, the surname Pilati has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of Italy and its various regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pilati
Among Census respondents with the surname Pilati, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Pilati 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 Pilati surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 7
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pilati
Pilati 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-10 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,524 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,005 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 16,524 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 3,005 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 Pilati 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 | #138,304 | #141,309 | -2.2% |
| Count | 121 | 121 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pilati bearers went from 121 to 121 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 3,005 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #141,309.
FAQ
Pilati surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pilati?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Pilati. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Pilati?
Pilati ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Pilati. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Pilati.
Has Pilati become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pilati went from 121 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Pilati?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pilati, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Pilati in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pilati appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Hispanic (5.8%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Pilati (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 Pilati mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Latin "pilatus" meaning bald or hairy. 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 Pilati (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 have the last name Pilati?
See how many people have the last name Pilati on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.