2000
#8,571
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,537
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.31
Rare Last name
Pompa
Derived from the Italian word "pompa," meaning "pomp" or "splendor," likely referring to a pompous or showy person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,616 Americans carry the last name Pompa. That puts it at #7,910 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,254 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pompa 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 Pompa with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 74,254
Census rank
#7,910
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,025 bearers of the surname Pompa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7910th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pompa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.3%. The next largest groups are White (23.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pompa
The surname Pompa is of Italian origin, with the earliest recorded examples dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "pompa," which means "pomp" or "splendor." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who exhibited a pompous or ostentatious manner.
Records from the medieval period show that the Pompa family was well-established in the region of Tuscany, particularly in the cities of Florence and Siena. One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in a 1289 manuscript from the Archivio di Stato di Firenze, which mentions a certain "Guido Pompa" as a merchant in Florence.
During the Renaissance era, the Pompa name gained prominence with several notable figures. In the 15th century, Giovanni Pompa (1430-1498) was a renowned painter and frescoist who worked extensively in the churches and palaces of Rome. His most celebrated works can be found in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel, where he assisted in the decoration of the chapel's walls.
Another notable bearer of the Pompa name was Girolamo Pompa (1505-1572), a skilled architect and engineer from Verona. He is credited with the design and construction of several important buildings in his hometown, including the Palazzo della Gran Guardia and the Chiesa di San Giorgio in Braida.
In the realm of literature, the Pompa surname is associated with Francesco Pompa (1657-1733), an Italian poet and playwright from Naples. His most famous work, "La Posillicheata," is a satirical play that pokes fun at the Neapolitan dialect and customs of the time.
Moving forward to the 19th century, Raffaele Pompa (1819-1892) was a prominent Italian politician and statesman from the region of Molise. He served as a member of the Italian Parliament and played a significant role in the unification of Italy under the House of Savoy.
Another notable figure with the Pompa surname was Alessandro Pompa (1884-1965), an Italian-American sculptor and artist. Born in Naples, he immigrated to the United States in the early 20th century and gained recognition for his public monuments and sculptures, many of which can be found in cities across the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pompa
Among Census respondents with the surname Pompa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.3%. The next largest groups are White (23.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Pompa 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 Pompa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino74.3% · 2,990
- White23.7% · 955
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 26
- Two or more races0.6% · 26
- Black or African American0.5% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pompa
Pompa 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
#7,851
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,217
+680 bearers (+19.2%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Up 720 places
2020
#7,910
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,025
-192 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,571 | 3,537 | 1.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,851 | 4,217 | 1.43 | +680 bearers (+19.2%) | Up 720 places |
| 2020 | #7,910 | 4,025 | 1.35 | -192 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 59 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 Pompa 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 | #7,851 | #7,910 | -0.8% |
| Count | 4,217 | 4,025 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.43 | 1.35 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pompa bearers went from 4,217 to 4,025 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,851 to #7,910.
FAQ
Pompa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pompa?
Name Census estimates that about 4,616 living Americans carry the surname Pompa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,254 residents.
How common is Pompa?
Pompa ranks #7,910 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.35 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 4,025 people with the surname Pompa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,616), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.35 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 Pompa.
Has Pompa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pompa went from 4,217 recorded bearers to 4,025. That is a decrease of 192 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,851 to #7,910.
What does the Census say about the background of Pompa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pompa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.3%. The next largest groups are White (23.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pompa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.3% (2,990 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pompa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (74.3%), White (23.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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 Pompa (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 Pompa mean?
Derived from the Italian word "pompa," meaning "pomp" or "splendor," likely referring to a pompous or showy person. 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 Pompa (1.35 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 Pompa?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Pompa is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.