2000
#4,274
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,673
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.84
Uncommon Last name
Toscano
An Italian toponymic surname referring to someone from the Tuscany region of Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,184 Americans carry the last name Toscano. That puts it at #3,885 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,656 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Toscano 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
10K
1 in 33,656
Census rank
#3,885
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,881 bearers of the surname Toscano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3885th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Toscano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 62.9%. The next largest groups are White (34.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Toscano
The surname Toscano is of Italian origin, specifically derived from the region of Tuscany. It emerged in the medieval period, around the 12th century, as a toponymic surname denoting someone who hailed from or resided in Tuscany.
The name is believed to have evolved from the Latin word "Tuscanus," which referred to the Etruscan people who inhabited the area now known as Tuscany. The root of this word can be traced back to the ancient Etruscan language, although its precise etymology remains uncertain.
One of the earliest recorded references to the surname Toscano can be found in a document from the city of Pisa, dated 1186. This document mentions a certain "Guido Toscano," who was a prominent merchant and landowner in the region.
As the name spread beyond Tuscany, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Toscani, Toscan, and Toscanelli. One notable bearer of the name was the celebrated Renaissance mathematician, astronomer, and cartographer Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli (1397-1482), who corresponded with Christopher Columbus and is credited with inspiring his voyage to the Americas.
Another prominent figure bearing the Toscano surname was the Italian painter and sculptor Andrea Toscano (c. 1560-1610), whose works adorned churches and palaces throughout Naples and its surrounding areas.
In the 18th century, the Toscano name gained recognition through the works of the Neapolitan philosopher and jurist Ferdinando Toscano (1718-1794), whose treatises on natural law and civil rights influenced the development of modern legal theory.
During the Risorgimento, the Italian unification movement of the 19th century, the Toscano name was associated with several prominent figures, including the patriot and military leader Enrico Toscano (1815-1880), who fought alongside Giuseppe Garibaldi in the struggle for Italian independence.
Another notable bearer of the Toscano name was the Italian composer and pianist Giovanni Toscano (1860-1932), whose works blended traditional Neapolitan melodies with contemporary classical styles.
While the Toscano surname originated in Tuscany, it has since spread throughout Italy and to other parts of the world, carried by generations of immigrants and their descendants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Toscano
Among Census respondents with the surname Toscano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 62.9%. The next largest groups are White (34.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Toscano 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 Toscano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino62.9% · 5,584
- White34.4% · 3,055
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 95
- Two or more races1.0% · 86
- Black or African American0.4% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Toscano
Toscano 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
#3,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,301
+1,628 bearers (+21.2%)
Per 100,000 3.15
Rank movement Up 467 places
2020
#3,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,881
-420 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 2.97
Rank movement Down 78 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,274 | 7,673 | 2.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,807 | 9,301 | 3.15 | +1,628 bearers (+21.2%) | Up 467 places |
| 2020 | #3,885 | 8,881 | 2.97 | -420 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 78 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 Toscano 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 | #3,807 | #3,885 | -2.0% |
| Count | 9,301 | 8,881 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.15 | 2.97 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Toscano bearers went from 9,301 to 8,881 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 78 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,807 to #3,885.
FAQ
Toscano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Toscano?
Name Census estimates that about 10,184 living Americans carry the surname Toscano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,656 residents.
How common is Toscano?
Toscano ranks #3,885 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,881 people with the surname Toscano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,184), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Toscano.
Has Toscano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Toscano went from 9,301 recorded bearers to 8,881. That is a decrease of 420 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,807 to #3,885.
What does the Census say about the background of Toscano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Toscano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 62.9%. The next largest groups are White (34.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Toscano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.9% (5,584 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Toscano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (62.9%), White (34.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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 Toscano (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 Toscano mean?
An Italian toponymic surname referring to someone from the Tuscany 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 Toscano (2.97 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 are called Toscano?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Toscano, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.