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

Spano, 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 Spano surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Spano in America

Spano is the 7315th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Spano surname appeared 4,561 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Spano.

We can also compare 2010 data for Spano 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 Spano

The surname Spano originated in Italy, specifically in the southern regions of Campania, Puglia, and Sicily. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "Hispanus," which means "Spanish" or "of Spanish origin." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to individuals who had Spanish ancestry or connections.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Spano can be traced back to the 11th century in various Italian documents and records. One notable example is a reference to a certain "Guglielmo Spano" in a manuscript from the city of Benevento, dated around 1050 AD.

During the medieval period, the name Spano was particularly prevalent in the Kingdom of Naples and the surrounding areas. It is mentioned in several historic texts, such as the "Codice Diplomatico Barese" from the 12th century, which contains references to individuals with the surname Spano residing in the city of Bari.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name Spano was Giovanni Spano, a notable scholar and linguist born in Sardinia around 1503. He made significant contributions to the study of the Sardinian language and culture.

Another prominent figure with the surname Spano was Girolamo Spano, a 17th-century painter and architect from Naples. He was renowned for his works in churches and palaces throughout Italy.

In the 19th century, Giovanni Spano-Bolani (1789-1871) was a respected archaeologist and scholar from Sardinia. He made important discoveries related to the island's ancient history and published several works on the subject.

The Spano family also had a presence in Sicily, where they were landowners and noblemen. One notable member was Vincenzo Spano (1785-1857), a politician and jurist who served as the Mayor of Palermo in the early 19th century.

While the surname Spano is predominantly found in Italy, it has also spread to other parts of the world through Italian migration. Over the centuries, variations in spelling have emerged, such as Espano, Spanò, and Spanu, but these are believed to share the same origin and meaning.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Spano

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

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

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

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