2000
#10,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,804
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Rosso
An Italian surname referring to someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion, derived from the word "rosso" meaning red.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,153 Americans carry the last name Rosso. That puts it at #11,042 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,707 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rosso 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 Rosso with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 108,707
Census rank
#11,042
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,750 bearers of the surname Rosso in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11042nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rosso, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rosso
The surname ROSSO is of Italian origin, derived from the Italian word "rosso," meaning "red." It is believed to have originated as a nickname for someone with reddish hair or a ruddy complexion. The name can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Italy, particularly in the northern regions such as Piedmont and Lombardy.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname ROSSO dates back to the 14th century in the city of Genoa, where a family named Rosso was mentioned in historical documents. The name was also found in other parts of Italy, including the cities of Milan and Florence.
In the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the surname ROSSO was Pietro Rosso, a Florentine painter and architect who lived from around 1428 to 1508. He was known for his work on the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence.
Another notable individual with the surname ROSSO was Giovanni Battista Rosso, an Italian painter and architect from the 16th century. He was born in Venice around 1515 and is recognized for his contributions to the architectural style known as Mannerism.
In the 17th century, the name ROSSO appeared in several historical records, including the records of the Republic of Venice. One notable figure from this period was Giambattista Rosso, a Venetian painter who lived from 1573 to 1642 and was known for his religious works.
Moving into the 18th century, a prominent figure with the surname ROSSO was Giuseppe Rosso, an Italian architect and engineer who lived from 1732 to 1805. He is renowned for his work on various architectural projects in Turin and the surrounding areas.
In the 19th century, the name ROSSO was associated with several notable individuals, including Alessandro Rosso, an Italian painter from Turin who lived from 1819 to 1898. He was known for his landscapes and religious paintings.
While the surname ROSSO has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including countries with significant Italian immigrant populations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rosso
Among Census respondents with the surname Rosso, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Rosso 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 Rosso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.9% · 2,115
- Hispanic or Latino19.4% · 533
- Two or more races2.3% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 21
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rosso
Rosso 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
#10,645
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,006
+202 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 134 places
2020
#11,042
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,750
-256 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 397 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,511 | 2,804 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,645 | 3,006 | 1.02 | +202 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 134 places |
| 2020 | #11,042 | 2,750 | 0.92 | -256 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 397 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 Rosso 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 | #10,645 | #11,042 | -3.7% |
| Count | 3,006 | 2,750 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 0.92 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rosso bearers went from 3,006 to 2,750 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 397 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,645 to #11,042.
FAQ
Rosso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rosso?
Name Census estimates that about 3,153 living Americans carry the surname Rosso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,707 residents.
How common is Rosso?
Rosso ranks #11,042 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,750 people with the surname Rosso. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,153), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rosso.
Has Rosso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rosso went from 3,006 recorded bearers to 2,750. That is a decrease of 256 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,645 to #11,042.
What does the Census say about the background of Rosso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rosso, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.4%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Rosso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.9% (2,115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rosso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.9%), Hispanic (19.4%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Rosso (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 Rosso mean?
An Italian surname referring to someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion, derived from the word "rosso" meaning red. 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 Rosso (0.92 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 Rosso?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.