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

Rossi, 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 Rossi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rossi in America

Rossi is the 1348th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rossi surname appeared 26,183 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Rossi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rossi 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 Rossi

The surname Rossi originated in Italy during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Italian word "rosso," meaning "red," and likely referred to someone with reddish hair or a ruddy complexion. The name first appeared in records from the 12th century in regions such as Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, and Lombardy.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rossi can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Longobardo, a collection of documents from the Lombard period, which mentions a certain "Petrus Rubeus" in 1175. This Latin form of the name translates to "Peter the Red," suggesting a connection to the Italian "Rossi."

During the Renaissance period, several notable individuals bore the surname Rossi. Giovanni Battista Rossi (1494-1553) was a renowned architect from Florence who worked on the Basilica of San Lorenzo and the Palazzo Pitti. Francesco de' Rossi (1510-1563) was a prominent Italian scholar and editor who published works by classical authors.

In the 17th century, Rossi emerged as a prominent surname in the arts and sciences. Adriana Basile Rossi (1591-1662) was a pioneering female architect and engineer from Venice, known for her work on the Convent of the Corpus Domini. Francesco Rosi (1634-1686) was a celebrated painter from Naples, renowned for his religious works and portraits.

The 18th century saw the rise of several influential Rossi figures. Luigi Rodolfo Rossi (1718-1790) was an Italian composer and music theorist from Livorno, known for his operas and treatises on music theory. Giovanni Gherardo de Rossi (1754-1827) was a prominent archaeologist and antiquarian from Rome, best known for his extensive collections of ancient inscriptions and artifacts.

In the 19th century, the Rossi surname gained prominence in the fields of science and politics. Giovanni Battista de Rossi (1822-1894) was a renowned archaeologist and Christian epigraphist from Rome, responsible for important discoveries in the Roman catacombs. Ernesto Rossi (1827-1896) was an influential Italian politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Italy from 1887 to 1888.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rossi

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

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 Rossi 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 Rossi 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 Rossi was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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