Politano last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Politano is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Politano.

Meaning of Politano

An Italian habitational surname derived from Polignano a Mare, a town in Apulia.

Politano, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Politano surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Politano in America

Politano is the 32632nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Politano surname appeared 704 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Politano.

We can also compare 2010 data for Politano to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

20102000Change (%)
Rank3263235994-9.80%
Count70458917.79%
Proportion per 100k0.240.228.70%

The history of the last name Politano

The surname Politano has its origins in Italy, specifically in the region of Campania. It is believed to have emerged sometime during the medieval period, between the 10th and 15th centuries.

The name Politano is derived from the Italian word "polito," which means "polished" or "refined." This suggests that the name may have initially been given as a descriptive surname to someone who exhibited these qualities or perhaps worked in a profession that involved polishing or refining materials.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Politano surname can be found in a 13th-century document from the city of Naples. This document mentions a certain "Nicola Politano," indicating that the name was already established in the region at that time.

Another notable reference to the Politano name comes from the 15th century, when a philosopher and humanist scholar named Giovanni Politano lived in the city of Calvi, located in the province of Campania. Giovanni Politano, born around 1450, was renowned for his contributions to the study of classical literature and philosophy.

During the Renaissance period, the Politano surname gained further prominence with the birth of Angelo Politano in 1486. Angelo Politano was a celebrated poet and scholar who served as a professor of Greek and Latin at the University of Naples. His works, including poetry and translations of ancient texts, helped to popularize the study of classical literature during the Renaissance.

In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the Politano surname was Francesco Politano, a painter from Naples who lived from 1620 to 1695. Francesco Politano was known for his religious paintings and frescoes, which adorned numerous churches and monasteries throughout the region.

Another prominent individual with the Politano surname was Giacomo Politano, a composer and musician who lived in the 18th century. Born in Naples in 1720, Giacomo Politano made significant contributions to the development of Neapolitan opera and wrote several operas that were performed in theaters across Italy.

The Politano surname has also been associated with various place names in Italy, such as Polito, a small town in the province of Benevento, and Polizzi Generosa, a municipality located in the province of Palermo, Sicily. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Politano

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Politano.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Politano was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only91.48%644
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only3.69%26
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races(S)%(S)
Hispanic Origin3.69%26

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Politano has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White91.48%94.91%-3.68%
Black(S)%(S)%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander3.69%2.89%24.32%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races(S)%(S)%(S)%
Hispanic3.69%1.36%92.28%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Politano was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Politano, please contact us.

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