2000
#6,279
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,997
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.85
Rare Last name
Pugliese
A surname indicating a person from Puglia, a region in southern Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,525 Americans carry the last name Pugliese. That puts it at #6,728 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,037 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pugliese 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
5.5K
1 in 62,037
Census rank
#6,728
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,818 bearers of the surname Pugliese in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6728th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pugliese, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pugliese
The surname Pugliese originated in Italy and can be traced back to the 15th century. It is a regional name derived from the region of Puglia, located in the southeastern part of the Italian peninsula. The name is believed to have evolved from the Latin word "Apulia," which was the ancient name for the region.
The earliest known record of the name Pugliese dates back to 1487, in a document from the city of Bari, located in the province of Puglia. This document mentions a certain "Giovanni Pugliese," who was a merchant and landowner in the area. Another early reference to the name can be found in the records of the Venetian Republic, where a "Niccolò Pugliese" is mentioned as a diplomat and ambassador in the late 15th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Pugliese. One of the most famous was Raffaele Pugliese (1833-1909), an Italian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Italian Parliament and played a significant role in the unification of Italy. Another prominent figure was Antonio Pugliese (1875-1953), an Italian painter and sculptor who was known for his works in the Impressionist and Symbolist styles.
In the field of literature, Mario Pugliese (1942-2021) was a renowned Italian poet and writer who published numerous collections of poetry and won several prestigious literary awards. Meanwhile, in the world of music, Umberto Pugliese (1904-1975) was an Argentine tango musician and composer who helped popularize the tango genre in the early 20th century.
Other notable individuals with the surname Pugliese include Vincenzo Pugliese (1858-1925), an Italian mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to the field of thermodynamics, and Gaetano Pugliese (1876-1962), an Italian-American sculptor and artist who created numerous public monuments and memorials in the United States.
While the surname Pugliese is most commonly associated with Italy and the Puglia region, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to Italian migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins and historical significance remain firmly rooted in the rich cultural heritage of southern Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pugliese
Among Census respondents with the surname Pugliese, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pugliese 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 Pugliese surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 4,373
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 286
- Two or more races1.7% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 37
- Black or African American0.7% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pugliese
Pugliese 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
#6,609
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,126
+129 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Down 330 places
2020
#6,728
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,818
-308 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Down 119 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,279 | 4,997 | 1.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,609 | 5,126 | 1.74 | +129 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 330 places |
| 2020 | #6,728 | 4,818 | 1.61 | -308 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 119 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 Pugliese 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 | #6,609 | #6,728 | -1.8% |
| Count | 5,126 | 4,818 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.74 | 1.61 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pugliese bearers went from 5,126 to 4,818 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 119 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,609 to #6,728.
FAQ
Pugliese surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pugliese?
Name Census estimates that about 5,525 living Americans carry the surname Pugliese. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,037 residents.
How common is Pugliese?
Pugliese ranks #6,728 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,818 people with the surname Pugliese. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,525), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Pugliese.
Has Pugliese become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pugliese went from 5,126 recorded bearers to 4,818. That is a decrease of 308 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,609 to #6,728.
What does the Census say about the background of Pugliese?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pugliese, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Pugliese in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (4,373 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pugliese appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (5.9%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Pugliese (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 Pugliese mean?
A surname indicating a person from Puglia, a region in southern Italy. 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 Pugliese (1.61 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 Americans have the surname Pugliese?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.