2000
#6,033
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,248
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.95
Rare Last name
Zito
Derived from the Italian word "zito," meaning "bridegroom" or "betrothed," likely referring to a young man about to be married.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,823 Americans carry the last name Zito. That puts it at #6,438 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,862 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zito 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
5.8K
1 in 58,862
Census rank
#6,438
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,078 bearers of the surname Zito in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6438th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zito, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zito
The surname Zito originated in Italy, specifically in the southern regions of Campania and Sicily. It likely emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century.
Zito may have derived from the Italian word "zito," meaning "unmarried" or "bachelor." This suggests the name could have initially been a nickname or descriptive term for an unmarried man. Alternatively, it may have roots in the Greek word "zetos," meaning "seeker" or "investigator."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zito appears in a Neapolitan document from the 13th century, where a certain Matteo Zito is mentioned. There are also records of a Sicilian family with the surname Zito living in the town of Termini Imerese during the 14th century.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Giovanni Zito (1415-1489) was a renowned jurist and legal scholar from Naples. He served as a judge and wrote several influential treatises on law.
Another prominent individual with the surname Zito was Bartolomeo Zito (1560-1636), a Sicilian architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Palermo, including the Church of Santa Maria della Catena.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe Zito (1820-1891) was a respected Italian playwright and poet from Naples. He wrote numerous plays and comedies that were popular in his time.
A more contemporary figure was Salvatore Zito (1927-2005), a Sicilian-American mobster who was a member of the Bonanno crime family in New York City. He was involved in various criminal activities and served several years in prison.
Throughout history, variations of the name Zito have included Ziti, Zitti, and Zitto, which may have been influenced by different regional dialects or linguistic evolutions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zito
Among Census respondents with the surname Zito, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Zito 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 Zito surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 4,640
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 243
- Two or more races2.5% · 127
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 44
- Black or African American0.4% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zito
Zito 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
#6,461
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,257
+9 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Down 428 places
2020
#6,438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,078
-179 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Up 23 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,033 | 5,248 | 1.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,461 | 5,257 | 1.78 | +9 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 428 places |
| 2020 | #6,438 | 5,078 | 1.70 | -179 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 23 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 Zito 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 | #6,461 | #6,438 | 0.4% |
| Count | 5,257 | 5,078 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.78 | 1.70 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zito bearers went from 5,257 to 5,078 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 23 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,461 to #6,438.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Zito
FAQ
Zito surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zito?
Name Census estimates that about 5,823 living Americans carry the surname Zito. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,862 residents.
How common is Zito?
Zito ranks #6,438 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,078 people with the surname Zito. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,823), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Zito.
Has Zito become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zito went from 5,257 recorded bearers to 5,078. That is a decrease of 179 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,461 to #6,438.
What does the Census say about the background of Zito?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zito, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) 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 Zito in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (4,640 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zito appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (4.8%), 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 Zito (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 Zito mean?
Derived from the Italian word "zito," meaning "bridegroom" or "betrothed," likely referring to a young man about to be married. 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 Zito (1.70 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 share the surname Zito?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.