2000
#53,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 361
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Rapuano
An occupational surname derived from the Italian word for turnip referring to a turnip farmer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 472 Americans carry the last name Rapuano. That puts it at #54,078 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 726,174 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rapuano 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
472
1 in 726,174
Census rank
#54,078
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
412
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 412 bearers of the surname Rapuano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 54078th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rapuano, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rapuano
The surname RAPUANO is of Italian origin, specifically from the region of Campania in southern Italy. It is believed to have originated in the 13th or 14th century.
The name RAPUANO likely derives from the Italian word "rapa," meaning "turnip," and may have been an occupational surname referring to someone who grew or sold turnips. Alternatively, it could be a topographic surname referring to a place where turnips were grown in abundance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the RAPUANO name can be found in a document from the city of Naples, dated 1327, which mentions a person named Giovanni RAPUANO. Another early reference is a record from the town of Castellammare di Stabia, near Naples, from the year 1415, which lists a Nicola RAPUANO as a landowner.
During the 16th century, the RAPUANO name appears in various records from the Campania region, including a census from the town of Gragnano in 1589, which lists several families with this surname.
Among notable historical figures with the RAPUANO surname, one can mention Vincenzo RAPUANO (1574-1638), a renowned painter from Naples who was known for his religious artworks. Another notable figure was Girolamo RAPUANO (1629-1693), a philosopher and theologian from the town of Sorrento, who wrote several influential treatises on moral theology.
In the 18th century, Giuseppe RAPUANO (1710-1786) was a prominent architect from Naples who designed several churches and palaces in the city. Later, in the 19th century, Raffaele RAPUANO (1838-1914) was a celebrated sculptor from the town of Tramonti, known for his intricate marble sculptures.
One of the most famous individuals with the RAPUANO surname was Antonio RAPUANO (1887-1963), a renowned Italian opera singer and tenor who performed at prestigious venues such as La Scala in Milan and the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
While the surname RAPUANO is not among the most common Italian surnames, it has a rich history and has been present in various regions of Italy, particularly in Campania, for several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rapuano
Among Census respondents with the surname Rapuano, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rapuano 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 Rapuano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 368
- Two or more races4.6% · 19
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 5
- Black or African American0.5% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rapuano
Rapuano 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
#52,383
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 396
+35 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 1,276 places
2020
#54,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 412
+16 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 1,695 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #53,659 | 361 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #52,383 | 396 | 0.13 | +35 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 1,276 places |
| 2020 | #54,078 | 412 | 0.14 | +16 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 1,695 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 Rapuano 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 | #52,383 | #54,078 | -3.2% |
| Count | 396 | 412 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.14 | 6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rapuano bearers went from 396 to 412 (+4.0% change). The surname moved down 1,695 positions in the national ranking, going from #52,383 to #54,078.
FAQ
Rapuano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rapuano?
Name Census estimates that about 472 living Americans carry the surname Rapuano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 726,174 residents.
How common is Rapuano?
Rapuano ranks #54,078 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 412 people with the surname Rapuano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (472), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Rapuano.
Has Rapuano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rapuano went from 396 recorded bearers to 412. That is an increase of 16 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #52,383 to #54,078.
What does the Census say about the background of Rapuano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rapuano, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Rapuano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (368 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rapuano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Rapuano (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 Rapuano mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Italian word for turnip referring to a turnip farmer. 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 Rapuano (0.14 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 Rapuano?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.