2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Portante
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "portare" meaning "to carry" or "to bear."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Portante. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Portante 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Portante in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Portante, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.4%) and Hispanic (7.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Portante
The surname Portante has its origins in Italy, tracing back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Italian word "portante," which means "carrying" or "bearing." The name was likely given to someone who worked as a porter or carried goods for a living.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Portante can be found in the Catasto Onciario, a census-like record of landowners and their properties in Sicily, compiled in the late 15th century. The record mentions a certain Giovanni Portante, who owned a small plot of land in the village of Misilmeri, near Palermo.
In the 16th century, the name Portante appeared in various legal and ecclesiastical documents in the regions of Calabria and Campania. For example, a certain Giulio Portante was listed as a witness in a land dispute case in the town of Cosenza in 1534.
During the Renaissance period, the name Portante was associated with a family of artists and architects from Naples. The most notable among them was Giovanni Battista Portante (1540-1623), a sculptor and architect who worked on several notable projects, including the Church of Santa Maria della Grazie in Naples.
Another prominent figure with the surname Portante was Antonio Portante (1701-1778), a Jesuit priest and mathematician from Reggio Calabria. He was known for his work in the field of astronomy and contributed to the development of the Gregorian calendar.
In the 19th century, a branch of the Portante family settled in the town of Messina, Sicily. One of their descendants, Giuseppe Portante (1831-1912), became a respected lawyer and politician, serving as a member of the Italian Parliament for several terms.
Throughout history, the surname Portante has maintained a strong presence in various regions of Italy, particularly in the southern parts of the country. While the name may have evolved slightly over time, with variations such as Portanti and Portantes, its core meaning and association with the act of carrying or bearing have remained consistent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Portante
Among Census respondents with the surname Portante, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.4%) and Hispanic (7.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Portante 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 Portante surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.5% · 89
- Asian and Pacific Islander13.4% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Portante
Portante appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+11 bearers (+10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,758 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.9%) | Up 11,758 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 Portante 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 | #159,712 | #147,954 | 7.4% |
| Count | 101 | 112 | 10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 24.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Portante bearers went from 101 to 112 (+10.9% change). The surname moved up 11,758 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #147,954.
FAQ
Portante surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Portante?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Portante. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Portante?
Portante ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Portante. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Portante.
Has Portante become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Portante went from 101 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 11 (+10.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Portante?
Among Census respondents with the surname Portante, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.4%) and Hispanic (7.1%). 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 Portante in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.5% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Portante appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (13.4%), Hispanic (7.1%). 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 Portante (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 Portante mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "portare" meaning "to carry" or "to bear." 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 Portante (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 are called Portante?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Portante on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.