2000
#15,340
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,759
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.65
Rare Last name
Cosenza
A surname of Italian origin denoting someone from the city of Cosenza.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,899 Americans carry the last name Cosenza. That puts it at #16,775 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 180,492 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cosenza 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
1.9K
1 in 180,492
Census rank
#16,775
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,656 bearers of the surname Cosenza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16775th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cosenza, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cosenza
The surname Cosenza originates from the Calabria region of southern Italy. It is a locational surname derived from the city of Cosenza, which was an important center during the Roman era. The name likely has its roots in the Latin phrase "Consentina res," referring to things of Cosenza.
The earliest recorded instances of the Cosenza surname can be traced back to the 11th century in various manuscripts and records from the Cosenza region. It was often spelled as Consentia or Consentina in these ancient documents.
One notable early bearer of the Cosenza name was Ruggero Consentia, a nobleman and military leader who lived in the late 12th century. He played a significant role in the defense of Cosenza during the conflicts between the Normans and the Holy Roman Empire.
Another famous individual with the Cosenza surname was Girolamo Cosenza (1439-1508), a prominent Renaissance humanist scholar and philosopher from Cosenza. He authored several influential works on classical literature and philosophy.
In the 16th century, Antonio Cosenza (1505-1572) was a respected jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the Kingdom of Naples. His writings on civil law were highly regarded during his time.
During the 18th century, Vincenzo Cosenza (1718-1796) was a renowned architect and engineer from Cosenza. He designed several notable buildings and structures in the city, including the Palazzo Arnone and the Palazzo Quintieri.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe Cosenza (1835-1915) was a prominent Italian politician and statesman. He served as a deputy in the Italian parliament and held various ministerial positions in the government.
The Cosenza surname has a rich history rooted in the southern Italian city of the same name. It has been borne by notable individuals across various fields, including military leaders, scholars, jurists, architects, and politicians, reflecting the surname's long-standing presence in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cosenza
Among Census respondents with the surname Cosenza, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Cosenza 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 Cosenza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 1,488
- Hispanic or Latino8.1% · 134
- Two or more races1.4% · 23
- Black or African American0.4% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cosenza
Cosenza 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
#15,687
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,860
+101 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 347 places
2020
#16,775
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,656
-204 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.55
Rank movement Down 1,088 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,340 | 1,759 | 0.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,687 | 1,860 | 0.63 | +101 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 347 places |
| 2020 | #16,775 | 1,656 | 0.55 | -204 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 1,088 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 Cosenza 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 | #15,687 | #16,775 | -6.9% |
| Count | 1,860 | 1,656 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.55 | -12.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cosenza bearers went from 1,860 to 1,656 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 1,088 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,687 to #16,775.
FAQ
Cosenza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cosenza?
Name Census estimates that about 1,899 living Americans carry the surname Cosenza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 180,492 residents.
How common is Cosenza?
Cosenza ranks #16,775 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.55 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 1,656 people with the surname Cosenza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,899), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.55 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 Cosenza.
Has Cosenza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cosenza went from 1,860 recorded bearers to 1,656. That is a decrease of 204 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,687 to #16,775.
What does the Census say about the background of Cosenza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cosenza, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.1%) and Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Cosenza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (1,488 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cosenza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (8.1%), Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Cosenza (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 Cosenza mean?
A surname of Italian origin denoting someone from the city of Cosenza. 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 Cosenza (0.55 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 Cosenza?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Cosenza, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.