2000
#6,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,429
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.64
Rare Last name
Spano
Derived from the Italian word "spano," meaning "governor" or "head," likely referring to a position of authority.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,885 Americans carry the last name Spano. That puts it at #7,526 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,165 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spano 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
4.9K
1 in 70,165
Census rank
#7,526
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,260 bearers of the surname Spano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7526th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spano, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spano
The surname Spano originated in Italy, specifically in the southern regions of Campania, Puglia, and Sicily. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "Hispanus," which means "Spanish" or "of Spanish origin." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to individuals who had Spanish ancestry or connections.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Spano can be traced back to the 11th century in various Italian documents and records. One notable example is a reference to a certain "Guglielmo Spano" in a manuscript from the city of Benevento, dated around 1050 AD.
During the medieval period, the name Spano was particularly prevalent in the Kingdom of Naples and the surrounding areas. It is mentioned in several historic texts, such as the "Codice Diplomatico Barese" from the 12th century, which contains references to individuals with the surname Spano residing in the city of Bari.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Spano was Giovanni Spano, a notable scholar and linguist born in Sardinia around 1503. He made significant contributions to the study of the Sardinian language and culture.
Another prominent figure with the surname Spano was Girolamo Spano, a 17th-century painter and architect from Naples. He was renowned for his works in churches and palaces throughout Italy.
In the 19th century, Giovanni Spano-Bolani (1789-1871) was a respected archaeologist and scholar from Sardinia. He made important discoveries related to the island's ancient history and published several works on the subject.
The Spano family also had a presence in Sicily, where they were landowners and noblemen. One notable member was Vincenzo Spano (1785-1857), a politician and jurist who served as the Mayor of Palermo in the early 19th century.
While the surname Spano is predominantly found in Italy, it has also spread to other parts of the world through Italian migration. Over the centuries, variations in spelling have emerged, such as Espano, Spanò, and Spanu, but these are believed to share the same origin and meaning.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spano
Among Census respondents with the surname Spano, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Spano 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 Spano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 3,866
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 233
- Two or more races2.5% · 106
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 37
- Black or African American0.3% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spano
Spano 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
#7,315
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,561
+132 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 338 places
2020
#7,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,260
-301 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Down 211 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,977 | 4,429 | 1.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,315 | 4,561 | 1.55 | +132 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 338 places |
| 2020 | #7,526 | 4,260 | 1.43 | -301 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 211 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 Spano 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 | #7,315 | #7,526 | -2.9% |
| Count | 4,561 | 4,260 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.55 | 1.43 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spano bearers went from 4,561 to 4,260 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 211 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,315 to #7,526.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Spano
FAQ
Spano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spano?
Name Census estimates that about 4,885 living Americans carry the surname Spano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,165 residents.
How common is Spano?
Spano ranks #7,526 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.43 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 4,260 people with the surname Spano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,885), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.43 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 Spano.
Has Spano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spano went from 4,561 recorded bearers to 4,260. That is a decrease of 301 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,315 to #7,526.
What does the Census say about the background of Spano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spano, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) 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 Spano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (3,866 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (5.5%), 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 Spano (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 Spano mean?
Derived from the Italian word "spano," meaning "governor" or "head," likely referring to a position of authority. 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 Spano (1.43 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 Spano?
You can see how common the surname Spano is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.