Explore the Family Name Fusco

The meaning of Fusco

Italian: nickname for someone with dark hair or a swarthy complexion, from Italian fusco ‘dark’ (from Latin fuscus); in some cases it may be from a medieval personal name derived from the Roman surname Fuscus, originally of the same meaning. Some characteristic forenames: Italian Salvatore, Angelo, Rocco, Sal, Carmine, Domenic, Luigi, Pasquale, Caesar, Carlo, Saverio.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Fusco in the United States?

According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Fusco has seen a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. The surname ranked 3,762nd in 2000 and slipped to 4,102nd in 2010, marking a negative change of 9.04%. In terms of count, there was hardly any change with roughly 8,653 individuals having this surname in 2000 and about 8,650 in 2010, indicating a negligible dip of 0.03%. The proportion per 100,000 people also fell from 3.21 to 2.93 during this period, a decrease of 8.72%.

20002010Change
Rank#3,762#4,102-9.04%
Count8,6538,650-0.03%
Proportion per 100k3.212.93-8.72%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Fusco

The Decennial U.S. Census also provides insightful information about the ethnicity associated with the Fusco surname. Predominantly, this surname is linked with White ethnicity, though it decreased slightly from 96.64% in 2000 to 95.24% in 2010. However, there was a significant increase of 82.17% in its association with Hispanic ethnicity over the same decade, climbing from 1.57% to 2.86%. Notably, the association with the Black ethnicity also rose by 33.33%, albeit from a relatively low base. The Asian/Pacific Islander and those identifying with two or more races saw minor increases, while the American Indian and Alaskan Native category experienced a small decline of 12.5%.

20002010Change
White96.64%95.24%-1.45%
Hispanic1.57%2.86%82.17%
Two or More Races1.02%1.04%1.96%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.43%0.44%2.33%
Black0.27%0.36%33.33%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.08%0.07%-12.5%

Fusco ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Fusco is Italian, which comprises 39.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (26.6%) and French & German (11.2%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, Scandinavian, and Iranian, Caucasian & Mesopotamian.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Italian39.4%
British & Irish26.6%
French & German11.2%
Other22.8%
Fusco

Possible origins of the surname Fusco

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Fusco have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in Italy, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Sicily, Italy67.90%
Campania, Italy67.50%
Calabria, Italy64.10%
Apulia, Italy64.10%
Greater London, United Kingdom57.00%

What Fusco haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Fusco is R-U152, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-U152 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include E-V13 and J-L70, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Esposito, Mayer, Gentile, Palumbo, Russo, Klein, Leone, Rossi, Rizzo, Hoffman.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Fusco surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

fuscoPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

Your maternal lineage may be linked to the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara

Though haplogroup H1 rarely reaches high frequencies beyond western Europe, over 60% of eastern Tuareg in Libya belong to haplogroup H1. The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” They are an isolated, semi-nomadic people who inhabit the West-Central Sahara and are known today for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the desert.How did women carrying H1 make it all the way from western Europe to this isolated community? They likely migrated from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco after the Last Ice Age, where they were assimilated into the Berbers of the Mediterranean coast. Then, about 5,000 years ago, the Sahara shifted from a period of relative habitable conditions to its dramatically arid desert environment. This shift may have caused migrations throughout the Sahara, prompting the ancient Tuaregs to meet and mingle with the Berbers, bringing H1 lineages into their population.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Fusco have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Fusco

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Fusco" Surname 41.9%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Fusco

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Fusco" Surname 25.4%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Fusco

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Fusco" Surname 20.0%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Fusco

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Fusco" Surname 10.8%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Fusco?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Fusco are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Italian 58.3%

23andMe Users 57.2%