Potere last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Potere

An Italian surname derived from the word "potere" meaning power or authority.

Potere, 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 Potere surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Potere in America

Potere is the 140157th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Potere surname appeared 119 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 Potere.

We can also compare 2010 data for Potere 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 140157 121780 14.03%
Count 119 131 -9.60%
Proportion per 100k 0.04 0.05 -22.22%

The history of the last name Potere

The surname Potere is of Italian origin, traced back to the regions of Campania and Lazio in southern Italy. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "potere," meaning "power" or "authority." This surname likely originated during the medieval period, when surnames became more widespread among the Italian population.

The earliest recorded instances of the Potere surname can be found in historical documents from the 13th century. In 1273, a record mentions a Riccardo Potere from the town of Caserta, near Naples. Another early reference is from 1298, where a Giovanni Potere is listed as a landowner in the area of Fondi, a town in the province of Latina.

During the Renaissance era, the Potere family gained prominence in the region of Lazio. In the 16th century, a notable figure was Giacomo Potere (1520-1592), a wealthy merchant and banker from the city of Frosinone. His family's influence and wealth allowed them to establish themselves as part of the local nobility.

In the 17th century, the Potere surname appeared in various ecclesiastical records. One such example is Padre Francesco Potere (1632-1701), a Catholic priest and theologian from the town of Sora, who authored several religious texts.

Moving into the 18th century, the Potere family continued to hold significant positions in Italian society. Pietro Potere (1745-1823) was a renowned architect and engineer from Naples, responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in the city.

Another notable individual was Antonio Potere (1778-1842), a lawyer and politician from Gaeta. He served as a member of the Neapolitan parliament during the Napoleonic era and was actively involved in the Italian unification movement.

As the Potere surname spread throughout Italy, it also found its way to other parts of Europe and the Americas through migration. One famous bearer of the name was the Argentine writer and journalist, Julio Potere (1905-1981), who was known for his satirical works and contributions to the local literary scene.

While the above examples highlight some of the prominent figures associated with the Potere surname, it is essential to note that this name has been borne by countless individuals throughout history, each with their own unique stories and legacies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Potere

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

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 Potere was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 93.28% 111
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 93.28% 97.71% -4.64%
Black 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Potere, 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!

"Potere last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on May 9, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/potere-surname-popularity/.

"Potere last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/potere-surname-popularity/. Accessed 9 May, 2025

Potere last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/potere-surname-popularity/.

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