2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rettino
A surname of Italian origin meaning "little straight one".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Rettino. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rettino 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Rettino in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rettino, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rettino
The surname Rettino is believed to have originated in Italy, with its roots dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from the Italian word "retta," which means "straight" or "direct." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who lived along a straight road or path.
The earliest known records of the Rettino surname can be traced back to the 13th century in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria, where variations such as Rettini and Rettino were used. These variants likely emerged due to the influence of local dialects and spelling conventions of the time.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Giovanni Rettino was mentioned in the chronicles of the city of Siena, where he served as a prominent merchant and banker. Another individual, Pietro Rettino, was recorded as a scholar and professor at the University of Bologna in the late 15th century.
During the Renaissance period, the Rettino family gained prominence in the city of Florence, with several members holding influential positions in the local government and civic affairs. One such individual was Filippo Rettino, who served as a magistrate in the city's governing council in the early 16th century.
As the Rettino family expanded and migration patterns shifted, the name began to appear in other regions of Italy, such as Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna. In the 17th century, a notable figure named Antonio Rettino was a renowned architect and urban planner, responsible for designing several notable buildings and public spaces in the city of Milan.
Another individual of note was Giuseppe Rettino, a military officer and strategist who served in the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. His tactical prowess and leadership earned him recognition and several honors from the French emperor.
Throughout the centuries, the Rettino surname has maintained a presence in various regions of Italy, with families carrying this name contributing to various fields, including art, literature, politics, and academia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rettino
Among Census respondents with the surname Rettino, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rettino 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 Rettino surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rettino
Rettino 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+4 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,083 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-8 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,308 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 5,083 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 9,308 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 Rettino 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 | #136,449 | #145,757 | -6.8% |
| Count | 123 | 115 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rettino bearers went from 123 to 115 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 9,308 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #145,757.
FAQ
Rettino surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rettino?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Rettino. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Rettino?
Rettino ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Rettino. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Rettino.
Has Rettino become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rettino went from 123 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Rettino?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rettino, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Rettino in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rettino appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%), Black (0.9%). 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 Rettino (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 Rettino mean?
A surname of Italian origin meaning "little straight one". 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 Rettino (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 many people have the last name Rettino?
Want to know how many people have the surname Rettino? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.