2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Speranzo
An Italian surname meaning "one who hopes".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Speranzo. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Speranzo 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Speranzo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Speranzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Speranzo
The surname Speranzo originated in Italy, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Italian word "speranza," meaning hope or expectation. The name likely emerged as a nickname or descriptive surname given to someone who displayed a hopeful or optimistic demeanor.
Early instances of the name can be found in historical documents from various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Giovanni Speranzo, a merchant from Florence who lived in the mid-14th century.
During the Renaissance period, the Speranzo family gained prominence in Venice, where they were influential patrons of the arts. Notably, Niccolò Speranzo (1420-1488) was a renowned Venetian painter and architect who contributed to the design and decoration of several churches and palaces in the city.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in the records of the Spanish Empire, as some Italian families with the surname Speranzo migrated to the New World. One notable figure was Pedro Speranzo (1525-1597), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Chile under Pedro de Valdivia.
Another prominent individual with the surname was Girolamo Speranzo (1570-1638), an Italian composer and organist who served at the court of the Medici family in Florence. His works, including madrigals and sacred music, were highly regarded during his lifetime.
In the 18th century, the Speranzo family had a presence in Sicily, where they were involved in the wine trade. Giuseppe Speranzo (1735-1798) was a respected vintner and landowner in the region of Marsala, known for producing high-quality fortified wines.
Throughout the 19th century, bearers of the surname Speranzo can be found in various parts of Italy, including Naples, Rome, and Milan. One notable figure was Vincenzo Speranzo (1839-1914), an Italian philosopher and professor who taught at the University of Naples and authored several works on ethics and metaphysics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Speranzo
Among Census respondents with the surname Speranzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Speranzo 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 Speranzo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.1% · 99
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Speranzo
Speranzo 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,840 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-23 bearers (-18.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 20,043 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 9,840 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -23 bearers (-18.4%) | Down 20,043 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 Speranzo 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 | #134,712 | #154,755 | -14.9% |
| Count | 125 | 102 | -18.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Speranzo bearers went from 125 to 102 (-18.4% change). The surname moved down 20,043 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #154,755.
FAQ
Speranzo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Speranzo?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Speranzo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Speranzo?
Speranzo ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Speranzo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Speranzo.
Has Speranzo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Speranzo went from 125 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 23 (-18.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Speranzo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Speranzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Speranzo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Speranzo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%), Black (1.0%). 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 Speranzo (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 Speranzo mean?
An Italian surname meaning "one who hopes". 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 Speranzo (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Speranzo?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.