2000
#1,171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,401
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.16
Uncommon Last name
Romano
Derived from the Latin name "Romanus," meaning "Roman," referring to someone from Rome or of Roman descent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 31,858 Americans carry the last name Romano. That puts it at #1,247 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,759 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Romano 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Romano with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
32K
1 in 10,759
Census rank
#1,247
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 27,782 bearers of the surname Romano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1247th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Romano, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Romano
The surname Romano originated in Italy during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin word "Romanus," meaning "Roman" or "from Rome." This surname was likely given to individuals who lived in or near the city of Rome or were associated with the Roman Empire or culture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Romano can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Monastery of Cava dei Tirreni in southern Italy, dating back to the 9th century. The name was also mentioned in various other Italian records and manuscripts from the 10th to 13th centuries.
The Romano surname is closely linked to the noble Romano family, who wielded significant power and influence in the Republic of Venice during the 12th and 13th centuries. Prominent members of this family include Doge Pietro Romano (1130-1205), who ruled Venice from 1182 to 1205, and his son, Doge Pietro Romano II (1172-1237).
Another notable figure with the surname Romano was Ezzelino III da Romano (1194-1259), a 13th-century Italian nobleman and military leader who ruled over the Marca Trevigiana region of northeastern Italy. He was known for his cruelty and tyrannical rule.
In the 14th century, the surname Romano was associated with the town of Romano di Lombardia, located in the province of Bergamo, northern Italy. The town's name likely derived from the Romano surname or vice versa.
Other individuals of note with the surname Romano include the Italian painter Giulio Romano (1499-1546), a prominent figure of the Renaissance and a pupil of Raphael, and the Italian composer and musician Ezio Romano (1896-1962), known for his compositions and arrangements of popular Italian songs.
The Romano surname has since spread beyond Italy and can be found in various regions around the world, particularly in areas with significant Italian immigration, such as the United States, Canada, and South America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Romano
Among Census respondents with the surname Romano, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Romano 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 Romano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.1% · 22,812
- Hispanic or Latino13.4% · 3,714
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 529
- Two or more races1.9% · 523
- Black or African American0.6% · 164
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Romano
Romano 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
#1,219
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,018
+1,617 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 9.84
Rank movement Down 48 places
2020
#1,247
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,782
-1,236 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 9.29
Rank movement Down 28 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,171 | 27,401 | 10.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,219 | 29,018 | 9.84 | +1,617 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 48 places |
| 2020 | #1,247 | 27,782 | 9.29 | -1,236 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 28 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 Romano 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 | #1,219 | #1,247 | -2.3% |
| Count | 29,018 | 27,782 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 9.84 | 9.29 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Romano bearers went from 29,018 to 27,782 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 28 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,219 to #1,247.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Romano
FAQ
Romano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Romano?
Name Census estimates that about 31,858 living Americans carry the surname Romano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,759 residents.
How common is Romano?
Romano ranks #1,247 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 27,782 people with the surname Romano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (31,858), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Romano.
Has Romano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Romano went from 29,018 recorded bearers to 27,782. That is a decrease of 1,236 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,219 to #1,247.
What does the Census say about the background of Romano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Romano, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Romano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.1% (22,812 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Romano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.1%), Hispanic (13.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Romano (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 Romano mean?
Derived from the Latin name "Romanus," meaning "Roman," referring to someone from Rome or of Roman descent. 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 Romano (9.29 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 Romano?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.