2000
#19,672
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,268
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.47
Rare Last name
Sposato
An Italian surname meaning "married" or "wed".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,396 Americans carry the last name Sposato. That puts it at #21,799 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 245,526 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sposato 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
1.4K
1 in 245,526
Census rank
#21,799
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,217 bearers of the surname Sposato in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21799th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sposato, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sposato
The surname Sposato is of Italian origin, derived from the Italian word "sposato" which means "married" or "wedded." It likely originated as a descriptive surname in the medieval period, referring to someone who was married or had recently been married.
The earliest known record of the surname Sposato dates back to the 13th century in the region of Tuscany, Italy. It is believed to have first emerged in the city of Florence, where the name appears in various historical documents and records from that time.
In the 14th century, the Sposato family was well-established in the city of Siena, where they held prominent positions and were involved in the local government and trade. One notable member was Guido Sposato, a renowned merchant and banker who lived from 1310 to 1385.
During the Renaissance period, the Sposato name gained further recognition with the birth of the artist and architect Giacomo Sposato (1455-1528). He was known for his work on several churches and palaces in Rome and other Italian cities.
Another notable figure with the surname Sposato was Girolamo Sposato (1630-1705), a Jesuit priest and philosopher from Naples. He wrote extensively on theology and metaphysics, and his works were widely studied across Europe.
In the 18th century, the Sposato family had a strong presence in the Kingdom of Naples, where they were involved in various trades and professions. One prominent member was Nicola Sposato (1725-1798), a successful merchant and landowner who played an important role in the local community.
The surname Sposato also has a historical connection to the town of Caserta, located in the Campania region of Italy. The town's coat of arms features a lion holding a ring, which some historians believe is a reference to the Sposato family and their influence in the area.
Throughout its history, the Sposato surname has been associated with various noble families and has been recorded in various forms, such as Sposati, Sposatti, and Sposatelli, reflecting regional variations and spelling changes over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sposato
Among Census respondents with the surname Sposato, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sposato 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 Sposato surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 1,105
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 58
- Two or more races2.4% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 13
- Black or African American1.0% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sposato
Sposato 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
#21,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,251
-17 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Down 1,347 places
2020
#21,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,217
-34 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Down 780 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,672 | 1,268 | 0.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,019 | 1,251 | 0.42 | -17 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 1,347 places |
| 2020 | #21,799 | 1,217 | 0.41 | -34 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 780 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 Sposato 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 | #21,019 | #21,799 | -3.7% |
| Count | 1,251 | 1,217 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.42 | 0.41 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sposato bearers went from 1,251 to 1,217 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 780 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,019 to #21,799.
FAQ
Sposato surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sposato?
Name Census estimates that about 1,396 living Americans carry the surname Sposato. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 245,526 residents.
How common is Sposato?
Sposato ranks #21,799 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.41 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 1,217 people with the surname Sposato. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,396), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.41 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 Sposato.
Has Sposato become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sposato went from 1,251 recorded bearers to 1,217. That is a decrease of 34 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #21,019 to #21,799.
What does the Census say about the background of Sposato?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sposato, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Sposato in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (1,105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sposato appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Sposato (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 Sposato mean?
An Italian surname meaning "married" or "wed". 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 Sposato (0.41 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 common is the surname Sposato?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Sposato, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.