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

Profumo, 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 Profumo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Profumo in America

Profumo is the 133863rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Profumo surname appeared 126 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 Profumo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Profumo 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.

The history of the last name Profumo

The surname Profumo originated in Italy, deriving from the Italian word "profumo," which means "perfume." It was likely an occupational name given to individuals involved in the trade or production of fragrances and perfumes.

The earliest known records of the Profumo surname can be traced back to the late 13th century in the regions of Liguria and Genoa, where the name was particularly prevalent. In the 14th century, the name appeared in various documents, including tax records and property deeds, indicating its presence in these areas during that time period.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Profumo was Giovanni Profumo, a merchant and trader in Genoa, who lived in the late 14th century. Another notable figure was Guglielmo Profumo, a wealthy Genoese banker and financier from the 15th century, who was involved in financing maritime expeditions and trade ventures.

In the 16th century, the Profumo family established themselves as prominent figures in the city of Savona, near Genoa. One member, Andrea Profumo (1512-1588), was a renowned jurist and legal scholar who served as a magistrate and advisor to the Republic of Genoa.

The surname Profumo also found its way to other parts of Italy, including Naples and Sicily, where variations such as Profummo and Profumieri were recorded in historical documents from the 17th and 18th centuries.

One of the most famous individuals with the Profumo surname was John Profumo (1915-2006), a British politician who was at the center of a political scandal in the 1960s, known as the Profumo Affair. This scandal involved his association with Christine Keeler, a model and alleged mistress of a Soviet naval attaché, leading to his resignation as the Secretary of State for War in 1963.

While the surname Profumo is not among the most common in Italy today, it has a rich history spanning several centuries, with notable individuals contributing to various fields, including commerce, law, and politics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Profumo

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

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 Profumo was:

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

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

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