2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pratto
An Anglicized form of the Italian surname Prato, meaning "from the meadow".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Pratto. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pratto 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Pratto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pratto, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pratto
The surname Pratto is of Italian origin, specifically from the northern regions of the country. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, sometime around the 11th or 12th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Latin word "pratus," which means "meadow" or "grassland," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this surname may have lived or worked in such areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Pratto surname can be traced back to the 13th century, when a family bearing this name resided in the town of Prato, near Florence, Tuscany. It is possible that the name originally referred to someone from this particular town, and over time, it evolved into the surname Pratto.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in several historical records, including the Codice Diplomatico Pratese, a collection of documents related to the city of Prato. This suggests that the Pratto family had established itself as a prominent presence in the region during that time.
Notable individuals with the surname Pratto include Girolamo Pratto (1528-1592), an Italian philosopher and humanist who was born in Prato and taught at the University of Pisa. Another notable figure was Antonio Pratto (1640-1718), a Venetian painter known for his religious works and landscapes.
In the 16th century, the name Pratto was also found in the region of Piedmont, where it was associated with the town of Pratto, located in the province of Vercelli. This could indicate that the surname may have had multiple origins or that families bearing this name migrated to different parts of Italy over time.
During the 18th century, a branch of the Pratto family settled in the city of Naples, where they became prominent merchants and landowners. One member of this family, Francesco Pratto (1745-1821), was a successful businessman and philanthropist who funded the construction of several churches and schools in the area.
As the Pratto surname spread across Italy, it also found its way to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas through migration. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several individuals with the surname Pratto emigrated from Italy to countries such as the United States, Argentina, and Brazil, further expanding the geographical reach of this historic name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pratto
Among Census respondents with the surname Pratto, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pratto 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 Pratto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino11.1% · 12
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pratto
Pratto 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+17 bearers (+16.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,398 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-15 bearers (-12.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,486 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+16.0%) | Up 7,398 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-12.2%) | Down 14,486 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 Pratto 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 | #136,449 | #150,935 | -10.6% |
| Count | 123 | 108 | -12.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pratto bearers went from 123 to 108 (-12.2% change). The surname moved down 14,486 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #150,935.
FAQ
Pratto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pratto?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Pratto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Pratto?
Pratto ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Pratto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Pratto.
Has Pratto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pratto went from 123 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 15 (-12.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Pratto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pratto, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Pratto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pratto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Hispanic (11.1%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Pratto (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 Pratto mean?
An Anglicized form of the Italian surname Prato, meaning "from the meadow". 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 Pratto (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 Americans have the surname Pratto?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.