2000
#12,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,380
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Tomasello
Derived from the Italian personal name Tommaso, meaning "twin," or a diminutive form of Tommaso.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,319 Americans carry the last name Tomasello. That puts it at #14,253 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 147,803 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tomasello 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
2.3K
1 in 147,803
Census rank
#14,253
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,022 bearers of the surname Tomasello in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14253rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tomasello, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tomasello
The surname Tomasello is of Italian origin, derived from the personal name Tommaso, the Italian form of Thomas. It is believed to have originated in Sicily or the southern regions of Italy during the medieval period.
The name Tommaso is derived from the Aramaic name Toma, meaning "twin." This name was widely used in Italy due to the veneration of St. Thomas the Apostle, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Tomasello can be found in various documents from the 13th and 14th centuries in Sicily and the surrounding areas. These records often refer to individuals with the name Tomasello residing in small villages or towns.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Giovanni Tomasello (1430-1498) was a renowned sculptor and architect from Palermo, Sicily. He is credited with designing several churches and palaces in the region, including the Palazzo Abatellis.
During the 16th century, the name Tomasello appeared in various records from the Kingdom of Naples, which included parts of southern Italy and Sicily. One record mentions a man named Antonino Tomasello (1520-1589) who was a respected lawyer and judge in the city of Reggio Calabria.
In the 17th century, a Sicilian painter named Pietro Tomasello (1625-1690) gained recognition for his religious artwork and frescoes adorning churches in Palermo and surrounding areas.
Another notable individual with the surname Tomasello was Vincenzo Tomasello (1770-1842), a Neapolitan scholar and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek and Latin languages.
The name Tomasello also has connections to various place names in Sicily, such as the town of Tomasello in the province of Caltanissetta, which was likely named after a family or individual with the same surname.
Throughout history, the surname Tomasello has been associated with individuals from various professions, including artists, scholars, lawyers, and professionals, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those bearing this Italian surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tomasello
Among Census respondents with the surname Tomasello, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Tomasello 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 Tomasello surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 1,814
- Hispanic or Latino6.4% · 129
- Two or more races2.5% · 51
- Black or African American0.7% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tomasello
Tomasello 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
#12,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,529
+149 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 255 places
2020
#14,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,022
-507 bearers (-20.0%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 1,961 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,037 | 2,380 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,292 | 2,529 | 0.86 | +149 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 255 places |
| 2020 | #14,253 | 2,022 | 0.68 | -507 bearers (-20.0%) | Down 1,961 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 Tomasello 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 | #12,292 | #14,253 | -16.0% |
| Count | 2,529 | 2,022 | -20.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.68 | -21.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tomasello bearers went from 2,529 to 2,022 (-20.0% change). The surname moved down 1,961 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,292 to #14,253.
FAQ
Tomasello surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tomasello?
Name Census estimates that about 2,319 living Americans carry the surname Tomasello. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 147,803 residents.
How common is Tomasello?
Tomasello ranks #14,253 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,022 people with the surname Tomasello. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,319), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Tomasello.
Has Tomasello become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tomasello went from 2,529 recorded bearers to 2,022. That is a decrease of 507 (-20.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,292 to #14,253.
What does the Census say about the background of Tomasello?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tomasello, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Tomasello in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (1,814 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tomasello appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (6.4%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Tomasello (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 Tomasello mean?
Derived from the Italian personal name Tommaso, meaning "twin," or a diminutive form of Tommaso. 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 Tomasello (0.68 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 surname Tomasello?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.