2000
#8,316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,663
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.36
Rare Last name
Provenzano
An Italian surname referring to someone from the Provence region of France or from the Italian city of Provenza.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,940 Americans carry the last name Provenzano. That puts it at #9,131 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,993 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Provenzano 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
3.9K
1 in 86,993
Census rank
#9,131
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,436 bearers of the surname Provenzano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9131st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Provenzano, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Provenzano
Among Census respondents with the surname Provenzano, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Provenzano 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 Provenzano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 3,133
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 197
- Two or more races2.2% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 21
- Black or African American0.2% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Provenzano
Provenzano 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
#8,822
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,712
+49 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 506 places
2020
#9,131
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,436
-276 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 309 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,316 | 3,663 | 1.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,822 | 3,712 | 1.26 | +49 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 506 places |
| 2020 | #9,131 | 3,436 | 1.15 | -276 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 309 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 Provenzano 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 | #8,822 | #9,131 | -3.5% |
| Count | 3,712 | 3,436 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.26 | 1.15 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Provenzano bearers went from 3,712 to 3,436 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 309 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,822 to #9,131.
FAQ
Provenzano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Provenzano?
Name Census estimates that about 3,940 living Americans carry the surname Provenzano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,993 residents.
How common is Provenzano?
Provenzano ranks #9,131 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.15 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 3,436 people with the surname Provenzano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,940), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.15 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 Provenzano.
Has Provenzano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Provenzano went from 3,712 recorded bearers to 3,436. That is a decrease of 276 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,822 to #9,131.
What does the Census say about the background of Provenzano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Provenzano, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Provenzano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (3,133 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Provenzano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (5.7%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Provenzano (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 Provenzano mean?
An Italian surname referring to someone from the Provence region of France or from the Italian city of Provenza. 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 Provenzano (1.15 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 Provenzano?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.