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

Spirito, 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 Spirito surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Spirito in America

Spirito is the 36900th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Spirito surname appeared 605 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Spirito.

We can also compare 2010 data for Spirito 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 Spirito

The surname Spirito originated in Italy during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Italian word "spirito," which means "spirit" or "soul." The name likely referred to a person's spiritual or religious nature or occupation.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Spirito can be found in documents from the 13th and 14th centuries in various regions of Italy, including Sicily, Calabria, and Campania. These early records often spell the name as "Spiritu" or "Spiritu," reflecting the Latin influence on Italian at the time.

One notable historical reference to the surname Spirito is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Regni Siciliae, a collection of medieval Sicilian documents dating back to the 11th century. This codex includes several mentions of individuals with the surname Spirito, suggesting that the name was well-established in Sicily during this period.

In the 15th century, the surname Spirito began to appear in records from other parts of Italy, including Tuscany and Lazio. This spread of the name likely coincided with the migration of families from the southern regions to other parts of the Italian peninsula.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Spirito was Giovanni Spirito, a Benedictine monk who lived in Palermo, Sicily, in the late 13th century. He is known for his writings on theology and philosophy.

Another notable figure was Niccolò Spirito, a 15th-century Florentine painter and architect who worked on several churches and palaces in Florence. He was born in 1420 and died in 1499.

In the 16th century, the Spirito family produced several notable members, including Girolamo Spirito, a humanist scholar and poet born in Naples in 1515. He was known for his works praising the city of Naples and its rich cultural heritage.

During the 17th century, the Spirito name was associated with a prominent family of lawyers and judges in Calabria. One of the most famous members of this family was Tommaso Spirito, born in 1630, who served as a magistrate and legal scholar in the Kingdom of Naples.

In the 19th century, Giuseppe Spirito, born in 1818 in Catania, Sicily, gained recognition as a philosopher and writer. He wrote extensively on ethics, metaphysics, and the philosophy of language.

The surname Spirito has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout history, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and professions associated with this name of Italian origin.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Spirito

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

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

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

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