2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sbarro
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "sbarro" meaning barrier or gate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Sbarro. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sbarro 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Sbarro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sbarro, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sbarro
The surname Sbarro originated in Italy, specifically in the southern regions around Naples and Campania. It is believed to have derived from an older Italian word, "sbarra," which means "barrier" or "gate." This suggests that the name may have been associated with someone who lived near a gate or barrier, such as a gatekeeper or a toll collector.
The earliest recorded instances of the Sbarro surname date back to the 13th century, with mentions found in medieval records and documents from the Kingdom of Naples. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Giacomo Sbarro, a merchant who lived in Naples in the late 1200s.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in the historical records of the city of Salerno, where a family of Sbarro merchants and landowners was documented. This suggests that the name had spread from its original base in Naples to other parts of southern Italy.
During the Renaissance period, the Sbarro name gained prominence in the arts and literature. Tomaso Sbarro, a renowned painter from Naples, was active in the 16th century and is known for his religious works adorning churches in the region.
As the centuries passed, the Sbarro surname continued to be associated with notable figures. In the 18th century, Giovanni Battista Sbarro was a respected architect from Naples who designed several churches and public buildings in the city.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Vincenzo Sbarro, a revolutionary who fought against the Bourbon monarchy in the 19th century. He was briefly imprisoned for his political activities but later became a respected lawyer and judge.
In more recent times, the Sbarro name has gained international recognition through the success of the Sbarro family and their popular Italian-American restaurant chain, Sbarro, founded in Brooklyn, New York, in 1956 by Gennaro and Carmela Sbarro, immigrants from Naples.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sbarro
Among Census respondents with the surname Sbarro, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sbarro 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 Sbarro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sbarro
Sbarro 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+8 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,373 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-9 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,769 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 1,373 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 7,769 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 Sbarro 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 | #145,220 | #152,989 | -5.3% |
| Count | 114 | 105 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sbarro bearers went from 114 to 105 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 7,769 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #152,989.
FAQ
Sbarro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sbarro?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Sbarro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Sbarro?
Sbarro ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Sbarro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Sbarro.
Has Sbarro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sbarro went from 114 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Sbarro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sbarro, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Sbarro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sbarro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Hispanic (1.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Sbarro (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 Sbarro mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "sbarro" meaning barrier or gate. 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 Sbarro (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 have the last name Sbarro?
See how many people are called Sbarro on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.