2000
#3,984
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,184
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.03
Rare Last name
Romeo
An Italian surname derived from the Latin name Romaeus, meaning "a pilgrim to Rome" or "a Roman".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,459 Americans carry the last name Romeo. That puts it at #4,156 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,236 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Romeo 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 Romeo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.5K
1 in 36,236
Census rank
#4,156
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,249 bearers of the surname Romeo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4156th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Romeo, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.7%) and Black (6.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Romeo
The surname Romeo originated in Italy during the Renaissance period. It is derived from the Italian word "romeo," which means a pilgrim or traveler to Rome. The name is believed to have originated in the regions of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, where many people undertook pilgrimages to the city of Rome.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a document from the city of Florence, dated 1382, which mentions a certain "Piero Romeo." The Florentine writer and poet Giovanni Boccaccio also mentioned a character named "Romeo" in his famous work, "The Decameron," written around 1350.
The surname Romeo gained widespread recognition in the 16th century with the publication of William Shakespeare's famous play, "Romeo and Juliet." The protagonist, Romeo Montague, became one of the most iconic literary characters of all time, and the name Romeo became forever associated with tragic love stories.
In the 17th century, the name Romeo appeared in several historical records, such as the registry of births and marriages in the town of Verona, where the play "Romeo and Juliet" is set. One notable bearer of the name was Matteo Romeo, a Venetian merchant and diplomat who lived from 1589 to 1647.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the name Romeo was found in various parts of Italy, including the regions of Calabria, Sicily, and Campania. Some notable individuals with this surname include the Italian painter and sculptor Vincenzo Romeo (1770-1838) and the Italian composer and conductor Ruggiero Romeo (1851-1919).
In the 20th century, the name Romeo gained international recognition with the rise of the Italian-American community in the United States. One of the most famous bearers of this surname was the American actor and singer Cesar Romero (1907-1994), who was of Italian descent and known for his roles in films and television shows.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Romeo
Among Census respondents with the surname Romeo, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.7%) and Black (6.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Romeo 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 Romeo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.5% · 6,555
- Hispanic or Latino9.7% · 803
- Black or African American6.4% · 531
- Two or more races2.7% · 226
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 110
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Romeo
Romeo 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
#4,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,636
+452 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 2.93
Rank movement Down 124 places
2020
#4,156
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,249
-387 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 2.76
Rank movement Down 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,984 | 8,184 | 3.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,108 | 8,636 | 2.93 | +452 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 124 places |
| 2020 | #4,156 | 8,249 | 2.76 | -387 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 48 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 Romeo 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 | #4,108 | #4,156 | -1.2% |
| Count | 8,636 | 8,249 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.93 | 2.76 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Romeo bearers went from 8,636 to 8,249 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,108 to #4,156.
FAQ
Romeo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Romeo?
Name Census estimates that about 9,459 living Americans carry the surname Romeo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,236 residents.
How common is Romeo?
Romeo ranks #4,156 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,249 people with the surname Romeo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,459), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Romeo.
Has Romeo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Romeo went from 8,636 recorded bearers to 8,249. That is a decrease of 387 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,108 to #4,156.
What does the Census say about the background of Romeo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Romeo, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.7%) and Black (6.4%). 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 Romeo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.5% (6,555 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Romeo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.5%), Hispanic (9.7%), Black (6.4%). 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 Romeo (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 Romeo mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Latin name Romaeus, meaning "a pilgrim to Rome" or "a Roman". 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 Romeo (2.76 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 share the surname Romeo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.