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

Provenzano, 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 Provenzano surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Provenzano in America

Provenzano is the 8822nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Provenzano surname appeared 3,712 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Provenzano.

We can also compare 2010 data for Provenzano 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 Provenzano

The surname Provenzano traces its origins to the southern Italian region of Campania, specifically the province of Salerno. It emerged during the medieval period, likely in the 11th or 12th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "Provenza," which refers to the Provence region of southeastern France. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have had ancestral ties to that area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Provenzano surname can be found in a document from the city of Salerno, dated 1195. This document mentions a certain "Petrus Provenzano" who was a local landowner. There are also records of a "Guilielmus Provenzano" from the nearby town of Amalfi in the late 13th century.

Over the centuries, the Provenzano family spread throughout the southern Italian regions of Campania, Basilicata, and Calabria. In the 16th century, a notable figure named Giovanni Battista Provenzano (1530-1592) was a renowned jurist and legal scholar from the town of Lagonegro in Basilicata.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Placido Provenzano (1759-1839), a Neapolitan painter and artist who specialized in religious works and frescoes. His most famous work is the fresco adorning the ceiling of the Church of San Ferdinando in Naples.

In the 19th century, a Calabrian politician named Francesco Provenzano (1812-1879) served as a deputy in the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy, representing the city of Cosenza.

Moving into the 20th century, one of the most infamous bearers of the Provenzano surname was Bernardo Provenzano (1933-2016), a notorious Sicilian mafia boss who led the Corleonesi criminal organization for several decades until his capture in 2006.

Throughout its history, the Provenzano surname has maintained a strong presence in southern Italy, particularly in the regions of Campania, Basilicata, and Calabria. While the name may have originated from a connection to the Provence region of France, it has become deeply rooted in the cultural and historical fabric of southern Italy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Provenzano

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Provenzano, please contact us.

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