2000
#8,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,811
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.41
Rare Last name
Polito
Italian occupational surname referring to a person who raises or sells poultry or chickens.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,165 Americans carry the last name Polito. That puts it at #8,670 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,294 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Polito 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Polito with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 82,294
Census rank
#8,670
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,632 bearers of the surname Polito in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8670th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Polito, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Polito
The surname Polito is of Italian origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "politus," meaning "polished" or "refined," suggesting a possible connection to an ancestor's occupation as a skilled craftsman or artisan.
The earliest known references to the Polito name can be found in historical records from the regions of Piedmont and Lombardy in northern Italy, where the name was particularly prevalent during the 13th and 14th centuries. It is believed to have originated as a descriptive surname, given to individuals who exhibited a refined or polished demeanor or worked in trades that involved polishing or finishing products.
One of the earliest documented instances of the Polito surname appears in the "Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis," a collection of medieval charters from the Cava de' Tirreni abbey in Campania, dating back to the late 11th century. The name is also found in various municipal records and cadastral maps from cities like Turin, Milan, and Genoa during the Renaissance period.
Among the notable individuals who bore the Polito surname in history is Giovanni Polito (1483-1561), a renowned Italian architect and sculptor from Padua. His works include the Church of Santa Maria dei Servi in Padua and the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice. Another prominent figure was Francesco Polito (1615-1677), a Baroque painter from Naples known for his religious works and portraits.
In the 18th century, Giuseppe Polito (1720-1795) was a prominent mathematician and engineer from Palermo, Sicily, who made significant contributions to the field of hydraulics and the design of aqueducts. Another notable Polito was Gerolamo Polito (1783-1858), an Italian politician and jurist who served as the Minister of Justice in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
During the 19th century, the Polito surname gained further recognition with the birth of Cesare Polito (1835-1905), an Italian politician and businessman from Turin. He played a crucial role in the development of the Fiat automobile company and served as a member of the Italian Senate.
While the Polito surname has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world, primarily due to immigration patterns. However, its origins and historical significance remain firmly rooted in the regions of northern Italy and the Italian peninsula.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Polito
Among Census respondents with the surname Polito, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Polito 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 Polito surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 3,150
- Hispanic or Latino8.9% · 325
- Two or more races2.6% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 38
- Black or African American0.5% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Polito
Polito 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
#8,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,032
+221 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 200 places
2020
#8,670
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,632
-400 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 442 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,028 | 3,811 | 1.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,228 | 4,032 | 1.37 | +221 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 200 places |
| 2020 | #8,670 | 3,632 | 1.22 | -400 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 442 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 Polito 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 | #8,228 | #8,670 | -5.4% |
| Count | 4,032 | 3,632 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.22 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Polito bearers went from 4,032 to 3,632 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 442 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,228 to #8,670.
FAQ
Polito surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Polito?
Name Census estimates that about 4,165 living Americans carry the surname Polito. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,294 residents.
How common is Polito?
Polito ranks #8,670 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.22 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 3,632 people with the surname Polito. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,165), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.22 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 Polito.
Has Polito become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Polito went from 4,032 recorded bearers to 3,632. That is a decrease of 400 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,228 to #8,670.
What does the Census say about the background of Polito?
Among Census respondents with the surname Polito, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Polito in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (3,150 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Polito appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Hispanic (8.9%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Polito (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 Polito mean?
Italian occupational surname referring to a person who raises or sells poultry or chickens. 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 Polito (1.22 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 Polito?
Find out how many people have the surname Polito on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.