2000
#645
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 48,126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 17.84
Uncommon Last name
Russo
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 52,509 Americans carry the last name Russo. That puts it at #740 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,528 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Russo 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 Russo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
53K
1 in 6,528
Census rank
#740
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
46K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 45,790 bearers of the surname Russo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 740th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Russo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Russo
The surname Russo has its origins in Italy, specifically in the southern regions of the country. It emerged during the medieval period, likely between the 11th and 13th centuries. The name is derived from the Latin word "russus," which means "red" or "reddish-brown," and was likely used to describe someone with reddish hair or a ruddy complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Russo can be found in a manuscript from the 13th century, which mentions a person named Giovanni Russo residing in the city of Naples. Another early reference to the name appears in a land registry from the 14th century in the town of Amalfi, where several families with the surname Russo are listed as landowners.
The name Russo is also closely associated with certain place names in Italy, such as Russo di Puglia, a town in the Apulia region, and Russo di Basilicata, a town in the Basilicata region. These place names likely originated from families bearing the Russo surname who settled in those areas.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Russo. One of the earliest was Giovanni Russo, a renowned philosopher and theologian who lived in the late 13th century and taught at the University of Naples. Another notable figure was Niccolò Russo, a 15th-century scholar and humanist who played a significant role in the Italian Renaissance.
In the realm of art, the name Russo is associated with the painter Giuseppe Russo (1516-1592), known for his religious works and frescoes adorning numerous churches in Naples and the surrounding regions. Francesco Russo (1663-1735) was a prominent architect who designed several churches and palaces in Naples during the Baroque period.
Moving to more recent times, a famous bearer of the surname was the Italian-American actor and filmmaker Gianni Russo (born 1943), best known for his role in the classic film "The Godfather." Another notable figure was the Italian politician and statesman Francesco Russo (1908-1994), who served as the President of the Italian Senate from 1983 to 1987.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Russo
Among Census respondents with the surname Russo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Russo 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 Russo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 41,337
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 2,745
- Two or more races2.3% · 1,075
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 332
- Black or African American0.5% · 231
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 70
Timeline
Historical Census data for Russo
Russo 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
#715
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 48,696
+570 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 16.51
Rank movement Down 70 places
2020
#740
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 45,790
-2,906 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 15.32
Rank movement Down 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #645 | 48,126 | 17.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #715 | 48,696 | 16.51 | +570 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 70 places |
| 2020 | #740 | 45,790 | 15.32 | -2,906 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 25 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 Russo 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 | #715 | #740 | -3.5% |
| Count | 48,696 | 45,790 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 16.51 | 15.32 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Russo bearers went from 48,696 to 45,790 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #715 to #740.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Russo
FAQ
Russo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Russo?
Name Census estimates that about 52,509 living Americans carry the surname Russo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,528 residents.
How common is Russo?
Russo ranks #740 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 15 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 45,790 people with the surname Russo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (52,509), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 15 of them to have the surname Russo.
Has Russo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Russo went from 48,696 recorded bearers to 45,790. That is a decrease of 2,906 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #715 to #740.
What does the Census say about the background of Russo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Russo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) 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 Russo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (41,337 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Russo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (6.0%), 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 Russo (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 Russo mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion. 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 Russo (15.32 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 Russo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.