2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Terminello
A surname derived from the Italian word "termine" meaning boundary or limit.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Terminello. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Terminello 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Terminello in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Terminello, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.6%) and Hispanic (10.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Terminello
The surname Terminello originated in Italy, with its roots tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "termine," which translates to "boundary" or "limit." The name may have been given to someone who lived near a territorial boundary or worked as a boundary keeper.
Terminello was predominantly found in the regions of Campania and Calabria in southern Italy. The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in a document from the city of Naples, dated 1215, referring to a certain Petrus Terminello, a landowner in the area.
Throughout the medieval period, the name Terminello can be found scattered across various historical records and manuscripts from the region. One notable example is a registry from the town of Salerno, dated 1387, which mentions a Giovanni Terminello, a local merchant.
As the centuries progressed, the name continued to spread across Italy, with variations in spelling emerging, such as Terminelli, Terminella, and Terminiello. In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name was Antonio Terminello (1522-1597), a renowned painter from Naples who specialized in religious artwork.
During the 17th century, the name gained prominence in the city of Reggio Calabria, where a family of Terminello landowners and noblemen resided. One of the most illustrious members of this family was Vincenzo Terminello (1642-1718), a prominent jurist and legal scholar.
Another notable figure was Giacomo Terminello (1789-1867), a military officer from Campania who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a respected landowner and philanthropist in his hometown.
In the 19th century, the name Terminello spread to other parts of Italy, as well as to other countries due to emigration. One such individual was Giuseppe Terminello (1852-1924), a businessman from Calabria who settled in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and established a successful import-export company.
As the centuries passed, the Terminello surname continued to be carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, contributing to the rich tapestry of Italian history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Terminello
Among Census respondents with the surname Terminello, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.6%) and Hispanic (10.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Terminello 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 Terminello surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.6% · 78
- Two or more races11.6% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino10.7% · 12
- Black or African American3.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Terminello
Terminello appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,813 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 3,813 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 Terminello 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 | #144,141 | #147,954 | -2.6% |
| Count | 115 | 112 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Terminello bearers went from 115 to 112 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 3,813 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #147,954.
FAQ
Terminello surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Terminello?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Terminello. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Terminello?
Terminello ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 112 people with the surname Terminello. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Terminello.
Has Terminello become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Terminello went from 115 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Terminello?
Among Census respondents with the surname Terminello, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.6%) and Hispanic (10.7%). 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 Terminello in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.6% (78 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Terminello appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.6%), Two or More Races (11.6%), Hispanic (10.7%). 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 Terminello (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 Terminello mean?
A surname derived from the Italian word "termine" meaning boundary or limit. 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 Terminello (0.04 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 Terminello?
You can see how common the surname Terminello is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.