2000
#13,596
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,048
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Premo
An Italian surname derived from the word "primo," meaning "first" or "chief."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,089 Americans carry the last name Premo. That puts it at #15,485 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 164,076 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Premo 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
2.1K
1 in 164,076
Census rank
#15,485
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,822 bearers of the surname Premo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15485th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Premo, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Premo
The surname "PREMO" is of Italian origin, derived from the medieval Italian words "premo" or "primo," meaning "first" or "foremost." It is believed to have emerged during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century, in various regions of Italy.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Catasto Fiorentino, a tax record from Florence dating back to the 15th century, which lists several individuals with the surname "Premo." This suggests that the name had already gained prominence in the Tuscan region by that time.
The name "PREMO" may have originated as a nickname or descriptive term for someone who excelled or was considered the best in a particular field or activity. It could also have been used to denote the firstborn son in a family or the first settler in a new location.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various historical records from different parts of Italy. For instance, Giovanni Battista Premo (1540-1612) was a renowned painter from Genoa, known for his religious works and frescoes adorning several churches in the region.
In the 17th century, the name is associated with the Premo family from Naples, who were notable merchants and landowners. Antonio Premo (1630-1695) was a prominent figure in the city's commercial circles and served as a councilor in the local government.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Giacomo Premo (1720-1794), a Venetian architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Venice, including the Chiesa di San Stae and the Palazzo Vendramin Calergi.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe Premo (1810-1875) was an Italian politician and statesman from Piedmont, who served as a member of the Italian parliament and played a role in the unification of Italy under the House of Savoy.
The name "PREMO" has also been associated with various place names in Italy, such as the town of Premo in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont, and the village of Premo di Sopra in the province of Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
While the surname "PREMO" is not as widespread as some other Italian names, it has a rich historical legacy and has been borne by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Premo
Among Census respondents with the surname Premo, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Premo 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 Premo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 1,597
- Two or more races4.9% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.9% · 53
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 51
- Black or African American1.1% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Premo
Premo 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
#15,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,963
-85 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 1,452 places
2020
#15,485
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,822
-141 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 437 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,596 | 2,048 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,048 | 1,963 | 0.67 | -85 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 1,452 places |
| 2020 | #15,485 | 1,822 | 0.61 | -141 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 437 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 Premo 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 | #15,048 | #15,485 | -2.9% |
| Count | 1,963 | 1,822 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.61 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Premo bearers went from 1,963 to 1,822 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 437 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,048 to #15,485.
FAQ
Premo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Premo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,089 living Americans carry the surname Premo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 164,076 residents.
How common is Premo?
Premo ranks #15,485 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,822 people with the surname Premo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,089), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Premo.
Has Premo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Premo went from 1,963 recorded bearers to 1,822. That is a decrease of 141 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,048 to #15,485.
What does the Census say about the background of Premo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Premo, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.9%). 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 Premo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (1,597 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Premo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Two or More Races (4.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.9%). 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 Premo (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 Premo mean?
An Italian surname derived from the word "primo," meaning "first" or "chief." 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 Premo (0.61 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 Premo?
See how many people have the last name Premo on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.