2000
#13,654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,038
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Principe
An Italian occupational surname referring to a prince or ruler of a small state or territory.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,538 Americans carry the last name Principe. That puts it at #13,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 135,049 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Principe 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
2.5K
1 in 135,049
Census rank
#13,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,213 bearers of the surname Principe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Principe, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Principe
The surname Principe is of Italian origin and can be traced back to the late Middle Ages in Italy. The name is derived from the Italian word "principe," which means "prince" or "ruler." It was likely initially given as a nickname or title to someone who held a position of authority or nobility, or who exhibited regal qualities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Principe surname can be found in the archives of the Republic of Venice, where a certain Nicolo Principe is mentioned in a document from the year 1352. This suggests that the name was already in use by the 14th century in the Venetian region of northeastern Italy.
The Principe name also appears in historical records from other parts of Italy, such as Sicily and Calabria, where it may have been introduced by Italian nobles or ruling families. In the 15th century, there are records of a noble family bearing the name Principe in the town of Palermo, Sicily.
One notable individual with the surname Principe was Giovanni Battista Principe (1588-1663), an Italian painter and engraver from the city of Palermo. He was known for his religious works and is considered one of the most significant Baroque artists in Sicily.
Another notable figure was Francesco Principe (1592-1666), an Italian philosopher and mathematician from Naples. He made important contributions to the field of optics and is credited with discovering the principle of least time in the refraction of light.
In the 19th century, there was a famous Italian composer named Giovanni Principe (1825-1906), who was known for his operas and other musical works. He was born in Naples and spent much of his career in Italy and France.
The Principe surname can also be found in historical records from Spain, where it may have been introduced by Italian immigrants or through Spanish noble families with Italian connections. For example, there was a Spanish painter named Juan Bautista Principe (1556-1626) who was active in Seville during the Golden Age of Spanish art.
Throughout its history, the surname Principe has been associated with nobility, authority, and cultural significance, reflecting its origins as a title or nickname for those who held positions of power or exhibited regal qualities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Principe
Among Census respondents with the surname Principe, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Principe 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 Principe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.7% · 1,565
- Hispanic or Latino20.9% · 463
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.2% · 138
- Two or more races1.6% · 35
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Principe
Principe 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
#13,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,202
+164 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 87 places
2020
#13,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,213
+11 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Up 520 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,654 | 2,038 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,741 | 2,202 | 0.75 | +164 bearers (+8.0%) | Down 87 places |
| 2020 | #13,221 | 2,213 | 0.74 | +11 bearers (+0.5%) | Up 520 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 Principe 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 | #13,741 | #13,221 | 3.8% |
| Count | 2,202 | 2,213 | 0.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.74 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Principe bearers went from 2,202 to 2,213 (+0.5% change). The surname moved up 520 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,741 to #13,221.
FAQ
Principe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Principe?
Name Census estimates that about 2,538 living Americans carry the surname Principe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 135,049 residents.
How common is Principe?
Principe ranks #13,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,213 people with the surname Principe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,538), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Principe.
Has Principe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Principe went from 2,202 recorded bearers to 2,213. That is an increase of 11 (+0.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,741 to #13,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Principe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Principe, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.2%). 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 Principe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.7% (1,565 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Principe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.7%), Hispanic (20.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.2%). 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 Principe (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 Principe mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a prince or ruler of a small state or territory. 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 Principe (0.74 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 Principe?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.