2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Telano
A surname of unknown origin, possibly derived from a shortened form of an Italian place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Telano. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Telano 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Telano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Telano, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.5%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Telano
The surname Telano is of Italian origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval period in the regions of southern Italy, particularly the areas around Naples and Salerno. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "tellus," meaning "earth" or "land," suggesting that the name may have been originally associated with landowners or those who worked the land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Telano can be found in a document dated 1296, which mentions a certain Guglielmo Telano, a landowner in the town of Avellino, near Naples. This suggests that the name had already established itself in the region by the 13th century.
In the 15th century, the Telano family gained prominence in the city of Naples, with several members holding influential positions in the local government and the church. One notable figure from this period was Giovanni Battista Telano (1425-1498), a renowned jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the Neapolitan court.
The name Telano also appears in several historical records from the 16th and 17th centuries, indicating its continued presence in various parts of Italy. One such reference is found in a manuscript from 1578, which mentions a certain Pietro Telano, a merchant from the town of Cava de' Tirreni, near Salerno.
During the Renaissance period, the Telano family produced several artists and intellectuals, including the painter Girolamo Telano (1550-1624), whose works can still be found in churches and galleries across Italy. Another notable figure was Tomaso Telano (1589-1658), a philosopher and theologian who taught at the University of Naples.
As the centuries passed, the Telano surname spread to other regions of Italy and beyond, with families bearing this name found in various parts of Europe and even in the Americas. One notable individual from more recent times was Francesco Telano (1830-1905), an Italian politician and journalist who played a role in the Risorgimento, the movement for Italian unification in the 19th century.
Throughout its long history, the surname Telano has been associated with a diverse range of professions and accomplishments, from landowners and merchants to scholars, artists, and political figures, reflecting the rich tapestry of Italian culture and heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Telano
Among Census respondents with the surname Telano, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.5%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Telano 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 Telano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.7% · 86
- Two or more races13.5% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Telano
Telano 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-8 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 18,493 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 3,644 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 18,493 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 3,644 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 Telano 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 | #157,234 | #153,590 | 2.3% |
| Count | 103 | 104 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Telano bearers went from 103 to 104 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 3,644 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #153,590.
FAQ
Telano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Telano?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Telano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Telano?
Telano ranks #153,590 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 104 people with the surname Telano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), 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 Telano.
Has Telano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Telano went from 103 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 1 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Telano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Telano, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.5%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Telano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.7% (86 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Telano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.7%), Two or More Races (13.5%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Telano (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 Telano mean?
A surname of unknown origin, possibly derived from a shortened form of an Italian place name. 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 Telano (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 people have the last name Telano?
Find out how common the surname Telano is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.