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

Rotolo, 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 Rotolo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rotolo in America

Rotolo is the 18540th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rotolo surname appeared 1,488 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Rotolo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rotolo 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 Rotolo

The surname Rotolo has its origins in Italy, specifically in the southern regions of Sicily and Calabria, where it first emerged during the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "rotolo," which means "scroll" or "roll," likely referring to an occupation or trade related to paper scrolls or rolled parchments.

Historically, the name Rotolo appeared in various historical records and documents from the medieval period onward. Some of the earliest recorded instances include Nicolo Rotolo, a notary in Palermo, Sicily in 1349, and Giovanni Rotolo, a merchant in Messina, Sicily in the late 15th century. The name was also found in the records of the Angevin dynasty, which ruled parts of southern Italy from the late 13th to the early 15th century.

During the Renaissance period, the surname Rotolo gained prominence with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such figure was Girolamo Rotolo, a Sicilian poet and scholar who lived in the late 16th century. Another was Vincenzo Rotolo, a Calabrian painter and architect who worked in Naples in the early 17th century.

In the 18th century, the Rotolo surname appeared in various regions of Italy, including the Neapolitan Kingdom and the Papal States. One notable bearer of the name during this period was Giuseppe Rotolo, a Sicilian historian and author who wrote about the history of Palermo and its nobility in the late 18th century.

Moving into the 19th century, the Rotolo surname continued to be associated with various professions and occupations. For example, Francesco Rotolo was a prominent Sicilian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Sicilian Parliament in the mid-19th century. Another notable figure was Antonio Rotolo, an Italian composer and conductor who lived and worked in Naples in the late 19th century.

Throughout history, the Rotolo surname has been associated with various place names and locations across southern Italy, particularly in Sicily and Calabria. Some examples include the towns of Rotolo in the province of Catania, Sicily, and Rotolo Pericolo in the province of Reggio Calabria. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, reflecting the presence and influence of the Rotolo family or individuals with that surname in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rotolo

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!