2000
#11,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,541
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Puglisi
Derived from the Italian word "pugliese," denoting someone from the Apulia region in southern Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,803 Americans carry the last name Puglisi. That puts it at #12,170 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,281 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Puglisi 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
2.8K
1 in 122,281
Census rank
#12,170
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,444 bearers of the surname Puglisi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12170th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Puglisi, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Puglisi
The surname Puglisi originated in Sicily, an island located in the Mediterranean Sea, off the southern coast of Italy. It traces its roots back to the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Italian word "pugliese," which means "from Puglia," a region in southern Italy.
The earliest known record of the Puglisi name appears in a document from the 13th century, where it is spelled "Puglese." This suggests that the family may have originally hailed from the Puglia region before settling in Sicily. Over time, the name evolved into its current spelling, Puglisi.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the Puglisi surname was Giovanni Puglisi, a Sicilian priest and canon lawyer who lived in the 15th century (c. 1420-1490). He served as a canon of the Cathedral of Palermo and was renowned for his expertise in canon law.
In the 16th century, a Puglisi family established themselves in the town of Alcamo, located in the province of Trapani, Sicily. This branch of the family produced several notable individuals, including Girolamo Puglisi (c. 1570-1635), a prominent lawyer and jurist.
The Puglisi name also gained prominence in the 17th century with the birth of Vincenzo Puglisi (1631-1707), a Sicilian painter known for his religious works and portraits. His paintings can be found in various churches and museums throughout Sicily.
Another notable figure was Giuseppe Puglisi (1856-1924), an Italian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies, representing the district of Termini Imerese in Sicily.
In more recent history, Blessed Pino Puglisi (1937-1993) was a Catholic priest and anti-mafia activist who was murdered by the Sicilian Mafia for his efforts to protect young people from the influence of organized crime. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2013.
The Puglisi surname has a rich history rooted in Sicily, with various branches of the family contributing to the fields of law, art, politics, and religious activism over the centuries. Despite its Italian origins, the name has spread to other parts of the world through migration and continues to be carried on by individuals of Sicilian descent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Puglisi
Among Census respondents with the surname Puglisi, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Puglisi 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 Puglisi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 2,256
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 128
- Two or more races1.8% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Puglisi
Puglisi 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
#12,212
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,550
+9 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 834 places
2020
#12,170
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,444
-106 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 42 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,378 | 2,541 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,212 | 2,550 | 0.86 | +9 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 834 places |
| 2020 | #12,170 | 2,444 | 0.82 | -106 bearers (-4.2%) | Up 42 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 Puglisi 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 | #12,212 | #12,170 | 0.3% |
| Count | 2,550 | 2,444 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.82 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Puglisi bearers went from 2,550 to 2,444 (-4.2% change). The surname moved up 42 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,212 to #12,170.
FAQ
Puglisi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Puglisi?
Name Census estimates that about 2,803 living Americans carry the surname Puglisi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,281 residents.
How common is Puglisi?
Puglisi ranks #12,170 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,444 people with the surname Puglisi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,803), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Puglisi.
Has Puglisi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Puglisi went from 2,550 recorded bearers to 2,444. That is a decrease of 106 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,212 to #12,170.
What does the Census say about the background of Puglisi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Puglisi, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Puglisi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (2,256 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Puglisi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (5.2%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Puglisi (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 Puglisi mean?
Derived from the Italian word "pugliese," denoting someone from the Apulia 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 Puglisi (0.82 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 last name Puglisi?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Puglisi, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.