2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Salanitro
A surname from Italy indicating the person was from the town of Salanitro.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Salanitro. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Salanitro 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.
Bearers in the US
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Salanitro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Salanitro, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Salanitro
The surname Salanitro is of Italian origin, originating from the island of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, with its earliest known references dating back to the 12th century.
The name Salanitro is thought to be derived from the Italian words "sale" and "nitro," which translates to "salt" and "saltpeter" respectively. This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals involved in the production or trade of salt or saltpeter, both of which were valuable commodities in those times.
In the 13th century, records show a mention of a man named Giovanni Salanitro in the town of Palermo, Sicily. This is one of the earliest documented instances of the surname's use. Additionally, the name appears in several medieval manuscripts and records from the region, indicating its presence among the local population.
During the 14th century, there are references to the Salanitro family in the town of Trapani, located on the western coast of Sicily. This suggests that the name had spread across different parts of the island by that time.
One notable figure bearing the Salanitro surname was Giacomo Salanitro (1510-1587), a Sicilian painter and sculptor who contributed to the artistic heritage of the region during the Renaissance period.
In the 17th century, Antonio Salanitro (1635-1709) was a renowned physician and scholar from Palermo. He authored several treatises on medicine and was highly regarded for his contributions to the field.
Moving into the 19th century, Giuseppe Salanitro (1817-1893) was a prominent Sicilian politician who served as the mayor of Palermo from 1865 to 1867. He played a significant role in the city's development during his tenure.
Another notable figure was Maria Salanitro (1870-1954), a Sicilian writer and poet who gained recognition for her literary works that explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition.
Lastly, Salvatore Salanitro (1901-1981) was a Sicilian-American businessman and entrepreneur who founded a successful construction company in New York City, contributing to the development of the city's infrastructure.
Throughout its history, the Salanitro surname has been associated with individuals from various professions, including artists, scholars, politicians, and entrepreneurs, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bear this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salanitro
Among Census respondents with the surname Salanitro, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Salanitro 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 Salanitro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 6
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Salanitro
Salanitro 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,489 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,113 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 12,489 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 5,113 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 Salanitro 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 | #142,108 | #147,221 | -3.6% |
| Count | 117 | 113 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Salanitro bearers went from 117 to 113 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 5,113 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #147,221.
FAQ
Salanitro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Salanitro?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Salanitro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Salanitro?
Salanitro ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 113 people with the surname Salanitro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Salanitro.
Has Salanitro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Salanitro went from 117 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Salanitro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Salanitro, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Salanitro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Salanitro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Hispanic (5.3%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Salanitro (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 Salanitro mean?
A surname from Italy indicating the person was from the town of Salanitro. 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 Salanitro (0.04 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 are called Salanitro?
Want to know how many people have the last name Salanitro? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.