Find out how popular the last name Tropea is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Tropea.

Tropea, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Tropea surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tropea in America

Tropea is the 36900th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tropea surname appeared 605 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tropea.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tropea to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Tropea

The surname Tropea originated in Italy during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the town of Tropea, located in the province of Vibo Valentia in the region of Calabria. The name is believed to come from the ancient Greek word "tropaia," meaning "trophy" or "monument," referring to a monument that stood in the area.

Tropea is mentioned in several historical documents, including records from the 11th century when the town was ruled by the Normans. The name appears in the Catalogus Baronum, a medieval register of feudal landholdings in the Kingdom of Sicily, compiled in 1168 under the orders of King William II.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tropea dates back to the 13th century. In 1265, a document from the town of Tropea mentions a man named Nicola Tropea, who was likely a local resident or landowner.

During the Renaissance period, the Tropea family produced several notable figures. In the 15th century, Girolamo Tropea (1430-1492) was a renowned scholar and humanist who taught at the University of Padua. He wrote several works on philosophy and literature.

Another prominent individual was Tommaso Tropea (1535-1605), a Calabrian poet and writer who authored several works in Italian and Latin. His most famous work is "La Calabria Illustrata," a historical and geographical description of the region of Calabria.

In the 17th century, Matteo Tropea (1610-1678) was a prominent architect and engineer who worked on various projects in Naples and other parts of southern Italy. He is known for his contributions to the design and construction of fortifications and public buildings.

During the 18th century, the Tropea family produced several military officers and politicians. One notable figure was Antonio Tropea (1720-1792), a general in the Neapolitan army who played a significant role in the wars against the French during the Napoleonic era.

Another important figure from this period was Giuseppe Tropea (1740-1815), a lawyer and politician who served as a minister in the Neapolitan government. He was instrumental in implementing legal reforms and modernizing the judicial system.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tropea

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Tropea.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Tropea was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Tropea has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Tropea was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tropea, please contact us.

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