Explore the Family Name Balestrieri
The meaning of Balestrieri
Italian: patronymic or plural form of the occupational name balestriere ‘crossbowman, crossbow maker’, a word of Old French (balestrier ‘crossbowman’) and ultimately Latin origin (from ballistarius ‘catapult maker’; see Balestra); balestrieri were important in the Angevin militias in southern Italy in the 13th and 14th centuries. Some characteristic forenames: Italian Mario, Salvatore, Sal, Angelo, Nino, Domenic, Gaeton, Natale, Sebastiano.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Balestrieri in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Balestrieri saw a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Balestrieri ranked 29,296th in terms of popularity and dropped to 29,854th by 2010, indicating a small decline of 1.9%. Despite this drop in rank, the number of individuals with the Balestrieri surname actually increased from 761 in 2000 to 787 in 2010. This suggests that while the name became slightly less common as a proportion of the total population, more people bore the surname in 2010 than in 2000.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #29,296 | #29,854 | -1.9% |
| Count | 761 | 787 | 3.42% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.28 | 0.27 | -3.57% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Balestrieri
In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows variations for those bearing the Balestrieri surname between 2000 and 2010. The majority of individuals with this surname identified as White in both years, although there was a slight decrease from 95.93% in 2000 to 92.5% in 2010. Interestingly, there was an increase in the number of Balestrieris identifying as Hispanic, rising from 2.5% to 4.57%, an impressive change of 82.8%. There was also a noticeable appearance of individuals identifying as Black in 2010 that was not present in the 2000 data. However, no individuals with the Balestrieri surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.93% | 92.5% | -3.58% |
| Hispanic | 2.5% | 4.57% | 82.8% |
| Two or More Races | 0.92% | 1.14% | 23.91% |
| Black | 0% | 0.89% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |