2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pulce
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "pulce" meaning "flea".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Pulce. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pulce 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Pulce in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pulce, the largest self-reported group is Black at 70.2%. The next largest groups are White (23.7%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pulce
The surname "PULCE" is of Italian origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Italian word "pulce," meaning "flea." This surname likely originated as a descriptive nickname or a distinguishing trait, possibly referring to someone's small stature or agility.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "PULCE" can be found in the Libro d'Oro della Nobiltà Italiana (Book of Gold of the Italian Nobility), a historical record of noble families in Italy. This document mentions the Pulce family from Florence, which produced several notable figures during the Renaissance period.
In the 14th century, Antonia Pulce (born around 1320) was a renowned Italian poet and scholar from Florence. His works, including sonnets and love poems, were highly influential during the early Renaissance literary movement. Another notable individual was Bernardo Pulce (1438-1488), a Florentine poet and courtier who served under Lorenzo de' Medici, the ruler of Florence.
The Pulce surname also appeared in other regions of Italy. In the 15th century, records show a family called Pulce residing in the town of Messina, Sicily. One of its members, Francesco Pulce (1460-1525), was a respected lawyer and jurist who served as a magistrate in the Royal Court of Messina.
Moving into the 16th century, the Pulce surname gained prominence in the Republic of Venice. Antonio Pulce (1515-1581) was a Venetian merchant and diplomat who served as the ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, playing a crucial role in maintaining trade relations between Venice and the Ottoman territories.
Another notable figure was Girolamo Pulce (1580-1647), a Catholic priest and theologian from Genoa. He authored several religious texts and served as a professor of theology at the University of Padua, becoming a influential figure in the Counter-Reformation movement within the Catholic Church.
While the surname "PULCE" may have originated as a descriptive nickname, it has since evolved into a respected family name with a rich history spanning several regions of Italy. From poets and scholars to merchants and diplomats, the Pulce family has left its mark across various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pulce
Among Census respondents with the surname Pulce, the largest self-reported group is Black at 70.2%. The next largest groups are White (23.7%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Pulce 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 Pulce surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American70.2% · 80
- White23.7% · 27
- Two or more races6.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pulce
Pulce 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+12 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,223 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-10 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,902 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 2,223 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 10,902 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 Pulce 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 | #135,593 | #146,495 | -8.0% |
| Count | 124 | 114 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pulce bearers went from 124 to 114 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 10,902 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #146,495.
FAQ
Pulce surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pulce?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Pulce. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Pulce?
Pulce ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Pulce. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Pulce.
Has Pulce become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pulce went from 124 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Pulce?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pulce, the largest self-reported group is Black at 70.2%. The next largest groups are White (23.7%) and Two or More Races (6.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pulce in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.2% (80 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pulce appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (70.2%), White (23.7%), Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Pulce (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 Pulce mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "pulce" meaning "flea". 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 Pulce (0.04 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 common is the surname Pulce?
See how many people have the surname Pulce on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.