Find out how popular the last name Roco is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Roco.

Roco, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Roco surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Roco in America

Roco is the 101247th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Roco surname appeared 178 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Roco.

We can also compare 2010 data for Roco to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Roco

The surname ROCO is believed to have originated in Italy, specifically in the regions of Calabria and Sicily, dating back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Latin word "roccus," meaning "rock" or "rocky area," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near or on a rocky terrain or a fortified town built on a hill.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ROCO can be found in the archives of the town of Reggio Calabria, where a family bearing this surname was mentioned in a document dated 1492. The document referred to a certain Giovanni Roco, who was a landowner in the area.

In the 16th century, the ROCO surname spread to other parts of Italy, including the region of Campania. Records from the city of Naples show that a prominent family with the surname ROCO played a significant role in the city's political and commercial affairs during this time period.

The name ROCO has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Domenico Roco (1560-1628), a Sicilian painter known for his religious works and frescoes adorning various churches in Palermo and other towns in Sicily.

Another individual of note was Antonio Roco (1725-1795), a Neapolitan composer and music teacher who contributed to the development of the Neapolitan opera tradition in the 18th century.

In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the surname ROCO was Giuseppe Roco (1822-1890), an Italian politician and statesman who served as the Minister of Public Works in the Kingdom of Italy.

The name ROCO has also been linked to various place names, such as the town of Roccalumera in the province of Messina, Sicily, which derives its name from the Latin "rocca" and the Greek "lumera," meaning "fortress on a rocky hill."

While the surname ROCO may have originated in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including Spain, where variations like "Roque" and "Roca" are found. However, the Italian roots of the name remain a significant part of its history and etymology.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Roco

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Roco.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Roco was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Roco has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Roco was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Roco, please contact us.

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