2000
#13,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Tocco
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who rang bells or played bells.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,531 Americans carry the last name Tocco. That puts it at #13,250 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 135,422 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tocco 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
2.5K
1 in 135,422
Census rank
#13,250
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,207 bearers of the surname Tocco in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13250th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tocco, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tocco
The surname Tocco is of Italian origin, rooted in the southern regions of the country, particularly in Calabria and Sicily. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, possibly derived from the Latin word "toccus," meaning "a piece or portion."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Tocco surname can be found in the 14th century, when a noble family bearing this name held significant influence in the Duchy of Athens and the Principality of Achaea in Greece. The Tocco family ruled these territories from 1355 to 1459, with notable members such as Carlo I Tocco (1374-1429), who served as the Despot of Epirus and Count Palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos.
The Tocco name can also be traced back to the town of Montalto Uffugo in Calabria, where a branch of the family resided during the 15th century. One prominent figure from this lineage was Antonio Tocco (1481-1544), a renowned Italian humanist, philosopher, and professor at the University of Padua.
In the 16th century, the Tocco surname appeared in various historical records, including the Venetian archives, where individuals such as Girolamo Tocco (1520-1585), a diplomat and scholar, were mentioned.
Another notable figure bearing the Tocco surname was Felice Tocco (1508-1588), an Italian composer and organist who served as the maestro di cappella at the Basilica of St. Mark's in Venice.
During the 17th century, the Tocco family expanded their influence to other parts of Italy, including Naples and Rome. One remarkable individual from this period was Tommaso Tocco (1628-1701), a Jesuit priest and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of optics and the design of telescopes.
As the centuries passed, the Tocco surname continued to be associated with individuals of distinction in various fields, such as the arts, literature, and academia. For instance, Giuseppe Tocco (1895-1971) was a prominent Italian philosopher and historian of medieval thought, known for his works on Thomas Aquinas and the Renaissance.
While the Tocco surname has its origins in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage, carrying with it a rich historical legacy rooted in the southern regions of the Italian peninsula.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tocco
Among Census respondents with the surname Tocco, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Tocco 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 Tocco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 2,073
- Two or more races2.4% · 54
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tocco
Tocco 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
#13,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,234
+103 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 419 places
2020
#13,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,207
-27 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Up 322 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,153 | 2,131 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,572 | 2,234 | 0.76 | +103 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 419 places |
| 2020 | #13,250 | 2,207 | 0.74 | -27 bearers (-1.2%) | Up 322 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 Tocco 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 | #13,572 | #13,250 | 2.4% |
| Count | 2,234 | 2,207 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.74 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tocco bearers went from 2,234 to 2,207 (-1.2% change). The surname moved up 322 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,572 to #13,250.
FAQ
Tocco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tocco?
Name Census estimates that about 2,531 living Americans carry the surname Tocco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 135,422 residents.
How common is Tocco?
Tocco ranks #13,250 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,207 people with the surname Tocco. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,531), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Tocco.
Has Tocco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tocco went from 2,234 recorded bearers to 2,207. That is a decrease of 27 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,572 to #13,250.
What does the Census say about the background of Tocco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tocco, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Tocco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (2,073 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tocco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Two or More Races (2.4%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Tocco (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 Tocco mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who rang bells or played bells. 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 Tocco (0.74 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 share the surname Tocco?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.