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

Taormina, 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 Taormina surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Taormina in America

Taormina is the 13497th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Taormina surname appeared 2,250 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Taormina.

We can also compare 2010 data for Taormina 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 Taormina

The surname Taormina originates from Sicily, Italy and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is derived from the name of the Sicilian town of Taormina, which dates back to ancient Greek times and was originally called Tauromenion. The name is likely derived from the Greek words "tauros" meaning bull and "omene" meaning haunches or ridge, referring to the town's location on a ridge with the shape of a bull's haunches.

Taormina first appeared in records as a surname in the 12th century, when it was spelled "Taurmina" or "Tauromina". The town of Taormina was mentioned in ancient Greek and Roman texts, and the surname may have originated with families who lived in or were associated with the town during this early period.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname was Guglielmo Taormina, a nobleman from Messina who was mentioned in a document from 1185. Another early bearer was Riccardo Taormina, a merchant from Palermo who was active in the 13th century.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in Catalan records as "Tormina" or "Taurmina", reflecting the influence of the Aragonese rulers of Sicily at the time. Notable bearers from this period include Pietro Taormina, a judge in Messina in 1328, and Antonello Taormina, a painter from Palermo who was active in the late 15th century.

During the Renaissance, the Taormina family produced several notable figures, including the humanist scholar Vincenzo Taormina (1490-1558) from Messina, and the architect and military engineer Antonio Taormina (1521-1591) from Palermo, who worked on fortifications in Malta and Naples.

In the 17th century, the surname was also found in Spain and Spanish colonies, likely carried by Sicilian emigrants or soldiers who served in the Spanish Empire. One example is Juan Taormina, a Spanish naval officer who participated in the conquest of Mexico in the 1520s.

Throughout history, the surname Taormina has been associated with various professions and social classes, from nobility and scholars to merchants and artisans. While it remains most common in Sicily, bearers of the name can be found in other parts of Italy and the world due to migration and diaspora communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Taormina

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

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

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

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