2000
#4,271
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,679
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.85
Uncommon Last name
Tolentino
Derived from the Italian place name Tolentino, indicating someone's origin from the town in the Marche region of Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,698 Americans carry the last name Tolentino. That puts it at #2,950 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,022 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tolentino 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Tolentino with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 25,022
Census rank
#2,950
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,945 bearers of the surname Tolentino in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2950th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolentino, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 47.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (42.6%) and White (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tolentino
The surname Tolentino has its origins in Italy, specifically in the central region of Marche. It derives from the name of the town of Tolentino, located in the province of Macerata. Tolentino itself is believed to come from the Latin name "Tolentinum," which may have roots in the Umbrian or Picene languages spoken in the area before the Roman conquest.
One of the earliest known references to the name Tolentino can be found in a 13th-century manuscript written by the Italian chronicler Salimbene de Adam, where he mentions a man named Albertino da Tolentino. In the 14th century, the name appears in records of the Papal States, with a nobleman named Giacomo Tolentino serving as a papal ambassador.
The Tolentino family played a significant role in the history of Tolentino, the town from which they took their name. In the 15th century, a member of the family, Niccolò Tolentino, served as the town's mayor and oversaw the construction of several important buildings, including the Church of San Niccolò.
One of the most famous individuals to bear the name Tolentino was the Italian painter and architect Nicola Tolentino, who lived from 1492 to 1559. He is best known for his work on the Cathedral of Urbino and for his contributions to the Renaissance architectural style in the Marche region.
Another notable figure was Giovanni Battista Tolentino, an Italian prelate who lived from 1518 to 1594. He served as the Bishop of Terni and played a prominent role in the Catholic Reformation.
In the 18th century, the composer and violinist Giuseppe Tolentino (1701-1770) achieved fame for his compositions and performances in the courts of Europe.
The surname Tolentino has also been associated with several notable literary figures, including the 19th-century Italian poet and playwright Vincenzo Tolentino (1827-1899) and the 20th-century Filipino writer and activist Evelina Tolentino (1904-1992).
While the name Tolentino is most commonly found in Italy, particularly in the Marche region, it has also spread to other parts of the world through immigration, including the Philippines, where it has a significant presence due to the country's historical ties with Spain and Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tolentino
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolentino, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 47.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (42.6%) and White (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Tolentino 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 Tolentino surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander47.2% · 5,644
- Hispanic or Latino42.6% · 5,086
- White5.0% · 596
- Two or more races4.5% · 536
- Black or African American0.6% · 67
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tolentino
Tolentino 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
#3,180
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,371
+3,692 bearers (+48.1%)
Per 100,000 3.85
Rank movement Up 1,091 places
2020
#2,950
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,945
+574 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 4.00
Rank movement Up 230 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,271 | 7,679 | 2.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,180 | 11,371 | 3.85 | +3,692 bearers (+48.1%) | Up 1,091 places |
| 2020 | #2,950 | 11,945 | 4.00 | +574 bearers (+5.0%) | Up 230 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 Tolentino 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 | #3,180 | #2,950 | 7.2% |
| Count | 11,371 | 11,945 | 5.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.85 | 4.00 | 3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tolentino bearers went from 11,371 to 11,945 (+5.0% change). The surname moved up 230 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,180 to #2,950.
FAQ
Tolentino surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tolentino?
Name Census estimates that about 13,698 living Americans carry the surname Tolentino. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,022 residents.
How common is Tolentino?
Tolentino ranks #2,950 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,945 people with the surname Tolentino. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,698), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Tolentino.
Has Tolentino become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tolentino went from 11,371 recorded bearers to 11,945. That is an increase of 574 (+5.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,180 to #2,950.
What does the Census say about the background of Tolentino?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolentino, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 47.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (42.6%) and White (5.0%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tolentino in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.2% (5,644 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tolentino appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (47.2%), Hispanic (42.6%), White (5.0%). 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 Tolentino (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 Tolentino mean?
Derived from the Italian place name Tolentino, indicating someone's origin from the town in the Marche region of Italy. 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 Tolentino (4.00 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 Americans have the surname Tolentino?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.