2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tranghese
An Italian surname likely derived from the name of a locality.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Tranghese. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tranghese 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Tranghese in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tranghese, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tranghese
The surname Tranghese has its origins in Italy, specifically in the southern regions of Campania and Calabria. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "tranguggiare," which means "to swallow or gulp down." This suggests that the name may have been initially assigned as a nickname to someone who had a habit of gulping down their food or drink rapidly.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tranghese appears in a document from the town of Salerno, dated to the year 1278. This document mentions a certain "Nicola Tranghese," who was a landowner in the area. Another early reference can be found in the records of the city of Reggio Calabria, where a "Giovanni Tranghese" is listed as a merchant in the year 1392.
The Tranghese name has also been connected to various place names in southern Italy. For example, there is a small village called Tranghese in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, which may have contributed to the name's origin or perpetuation in that region.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Tranghese. One such person was Girolamo Tranghese (1510-1586), a prominent lawyer and jurist from Naples who served as a legal advisor to the Spanish crown during the reign of Philip II.
Another notable bearer of the name was Antonio Tranghese (1630-1702), a Baroque painter from Salerno who was known for his religious works and frescoes adorning various churches in the region.
In the 19th century, a Calabrian named Giuseppe Tranghese (1820-1892) gained recognition as a poet and writer, publishing several collections of poems and essays that explored the cultural heritage of southern Italy.
More recently, there was Francesco Tranghese (1913-2001), an Italian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Italian parliament from 1958 to 1972, representing the Christian Democratic party.
Lastly, Mario Tranghese (born 1945) is a contemporary Italian musician and composer from Naples, known for his contributions to the genre of Neapolitan music and his collaborations with various Italian singers and performers.
While the surname Tranghese may not be among the most common in Italy today, it carries a rich historical legacy rooted in the regions of Campania and Calabria, with connections to various professions, artistic endeavors, and local place names.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tranghese
Among Census respondents with the surname Tranghese, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Tranghese 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 Tranghese surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 102
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tranghese
Tranghese 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-9 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,904 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-7 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,243 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 17,904 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 5,243 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 Tranghese 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 | #148,347 | #153,590 | -3.5% |
| Count | 111 | 104 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tranghese bearers went from 111 to 104 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 5,243 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #153,590.
FAQ
Tranghese surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tranghese?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Tranghese. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Tranghese?
Tranghese ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Tranghese. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Tranghese.
Has Tranghese become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tranghese went from 111 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Tranghese?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tranghese, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tranghese in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tranghese appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Black (1.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Tranghese (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 Tranghese mean?
An Italian surname likely derived from the name of a locality. 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 Tranghese (0.03 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 Tranghese?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Tranghese on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.