2000
#10,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,672
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Urso
An Italian surname derived from the Latin word "ursus," meaning "bear," likely referring to a person with bear-like qualities.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,986 Americans carry the last name Urso. That puts it at #11,547 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,787 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Urso 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 Urso with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 114,787
Census rank
#11,547
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,604 bearers of the surname Urso in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11547th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Urso, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Urso
The surname URSO is of Italian origin, derived from the Latin word "ursus," meaning "bear." The name is believed to have originated in the Middle Ages, when nicknames based on animal names were commonly used to distinguish individuals. In this case, the name URSO likely referred to someone who was perceived as strong, fierce, or possessing bear-like qualities.
The earliest recorded instances of the name URSO can be found in historical documents from various regions of Italy, particularly in the northern regions such as Piedmont and Lombardy. One notable example is the mention of a certain Guglielmo Urso in a 13th-century document from the city of Turin.
In the 14th century, the name URSO appeared in several records from the Republic of Venice, suggesting that it was well-established in the region. One such record from 1345 mentions a Pietro Urso, a merchant who traded with the Byzantine Empire.
The name URSO can also be traced back to the island of Sardinia, where it was documented in the 15th century. A notable bearer of the name from this period was Giovanni Urso, a renowned jurist and legal scholar who lived from 1420 to 1493.
During the Renaissance period, the URSO family gained prominence in the city of Naples. One of the most renowned members was Camillo Urso, a 16th-century painter and architect who contributed to the design of several churches and palaces in Naples. He lived from 1525 to 1592.
In the 17th century, the name URSO appeared in the records of the Papal States, particularly in the city of Rome. One notable figure was Pietro Antonio Urso, a prominent lawyer and jurist who served as a judge in the Roman Rota, the highest court of the Catholic Church. He lived from 1630 to 1701.
Throughout history, the surname URSO has been associated with various noble families and distinguished individuals across Italy. It has also been subject to slight variations in spelling, such as Ursi, Ursini, and Orsini, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic influences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Urso
Among Census respondents with the surname Urso, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Urso 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 Urso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 2,374
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 115
- Two or more races2.5% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 27
- Black or African American0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Urso
Urso 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
#11,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,691
+19 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 719 places
2020
#11,547
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,604
-87 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 101 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,929 | 2,672 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,648 | 2,691 | 0.91 | +19 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 719 places |
| 2020 | #11,547 | 2,604 | 0.87 | -87 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 101 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 Urso 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 | #11,648 | #11,547 | 0.9% |
| Count | 2,691 | 2,604 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.87 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Urso bearers went from 2,691 to 2,604 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 101 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,648 to #11,547.
FAQ
Urso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Urso?
Name Census estimates that about 2,986 living Americans carry the surname Urso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,787 residents.
How common is Urso?
Urso ranks #11,547 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 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 2,604 people with the surname Urso. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,986), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 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 Urso.
Has Urso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Urso went from 2,691 recorded bearers to 2,604. That is a decrease of 87 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,648 to #11,547.
What does the Census say about the background of Urso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Urso, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) 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 Urso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (2,374 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Urso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (4.4%), 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 Urso (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 Urso mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Latin word "ursus," meaning "bear," likely referring to a person with bear-like qualities. 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 Urso (0.87 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 Urso?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Urso at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.