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

Positano, 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 Positano surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Positano in America

Positano is the 97671st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Positano surname appeared 186 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 Positano.

We can also compare 2010 data for Positano 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.

The history of the last name Positano

The surname POSITANO is of Italian origin, originating in the picturesque coastal town of Positano on the Amalfi Coast in the province of Salerno, Campania region. The name is believed to have emerged in the medieval period, between the 11th and 13th centuries.

The town of Positano itself is thought to have derived its name from the Latin word "positus," meaning "positioned" or "situated," referring to its strategic location on the rocky cliffs overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. The surname POSITANO likely originated as a locative name, indicating that the bearer or their ancestors came from or lived in the town of Positano.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname POSITANO can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico Amalfitano," a collection of historical documents from the Amalfi area, dating back to the 12th century. The name is also mentioned in various medieval records and manuscripts related to the maritime activities and trade in the region.

Notable individuals with the surname POSITANO include Giovanni Positano (1542-1624), an Italian painter from Naples known for his religious works and frescoes. Another prominent figure was Francesco Positano (1648-1736), a lawyer and judge from Positano who served as a magistrate in the Kingdom of Naples.

In the 19th century, Antonio Positano (1810-1880) was a prominent composer and violinist from Positano who contributed to the development of Neapolitan music. His son, Vincenzo Positano (1839-1922), followed in his footsteps and became a renowned composer and conductor.

More recently, Giuseppe Positano (1901-1986) was an Italian politician and journalist who served as a member of the Italian Parliament and was known for his advocacy of social and labor rights.

The surname POSITANO is still prevalent in the Campania region of Italy, particularly in the Amalfi Coast area, but has also spread to other parts of the country and beyond due to migration and diaspora communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Positano

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

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 Positano was:

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 Positano has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Positano was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!