2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Prestano
An Italian surname derived from "prestare", meaning to lend or supply.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Prestano. 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 Prestano 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 Prestano 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 Prestano, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (6.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Prestano
The surname Prestano originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "prestare," meaning "to lend" or "to borrow." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked as a moneylender or banker.
The earliest known record of the Prestano name dates back to the 13th century in the city of Genoa, where a family with this surname was prominent in the banking and financial sector. During this time, the name was sometimes spelled as "Prestano" or "Prestani."
In the 14th century, records show that a branch of the Prestano family relocated to the island of Sicily, where they continued to be involved in banking and commerce. One notable member was Giovanni Prestano, a wealthy merchant and financier who lived from 1325 to 1398.
The Prestano name also appeared in various historical documents from the Renaissance period, including several legal contracts and property records from the city of Florence. One such document, dated 1487, mentions a Lorenzo Prestano, who was a successful textile merchant.
During the 16th century, a branch of the Prestano family settled in the city of Venice, where they became involved in the thriving maritime trade industry. One of the most prominent figures from this time was Marco Prestano (1522-1589), a respected shipbuilder and navigator who captained several expeditions to the Mediterranean and beyond.
Another noteworthy individual with the Prestano surname was Girolamo Prestano (1680-1754), a renowned architect and engineer from the city of Naples. He designed several churches and palaces throughout southern Italy, including the famous Palazzo Reale in Naples.
Over the centuries, the Prestano name has also been associated with various professions beyond finance and commerce. For instance, in the 18th century, there was a famous Italian painter named Giuseppe Prestano (1714-1789), whose works can be found in several galleries and museums throughout Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Prestano
Among Census respondents with the surname Prestano, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (6.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Prestano 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 Prestano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 7
- Two or more races6.5% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Prestano
Prestano 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+11 bearers (+10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,075 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,682 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.9%) | Up 2,075 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 3,682 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 Prestano 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 | #147,253 | #150,935 | -2.5% |
| Count | 112 | 108 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Prestano bearers went from 112 to 108 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 3,682 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #150,935.
FAQ
Prestano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Prestano?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Prestano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Prestano?
Prestano 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 Prestano. 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 Prestano.
Has Prestano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Prestano went from 112 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Prestano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Prestano, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (6.5%). 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 Prestano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Prestano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Hispanic (6.5%), Two or More Races (6.5%). 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 Prestano (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 Prestano mean?
An Italian surname derived from "prestare", meaning to lend or supply. 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 Prestano (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 have the surname Prestano?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.