Explore the Family Name Pellicano

The meaning of Pellicano

Italian (southern): 1. (also Pellicanò): nickname from dialect pelecanò, pelicanò ‘woodpecker’, from modern Greek pelekanos ‘green woodpecker’ (cognate with pelekan ‘pelican’; both come from pelekys ‘axe’, the pelican because its beak is shaped like an axe, the woodpecker because it uses its beak like an axe). 2. altered form of Pelacani or Pelacane, a nickname for a tanner, from pelare ‘to skin’ + cani ‘dogs’ (or cane ‘dog’), also used in a figurative sense, as a nickname for a rough, rude, or coarse person, or for a rogue, pilferer; alteration may thus have been euphemistic, to coincide with the word pellicano ‘pelican’. Compare Pellicane. Some characteristic forenames: Italian Angelo, Saverio, Dino, Philomena, Sal, Ippolito, Luigi, Salvatore, Santo, Vicenzo.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Pellicano has seen an increase in popularity between the years 2000 and 2010. In 2000 it was ranked 35,153rd most common name but jumped to the 32,485th position by 2010, marking a 7.59% rise in rank. The count of individuals with this surname also grew from 607 to 708 during this decade, representing a significant 16.64% increase. Accordingly, the proportion of people named Pellicano per 100,000 increased by 4.35%.

20002010Change
Rank#35,153#32,4857.59%
Count60770816.64%
Proportion per 100k0.230.244.35%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Pellicano

Regarding ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that those bearing the surname Pellicano identified predominantly as White in both 2000 and 2010, although the percentage dropped slightly from 97.53% to 94.07%. Meanwhile, the number of Hispanic individuals with this name saw a substantial increase over the same period, jumping from 1.65% to 4.80%, marking a 190.91% change. Interestingly, there was also a small emergence of Black individuals identifying with the Pellicano surname in 2010 that was not present in 2000. No significant representation was found for Asian/Pacific Islander, two or more races, or American Indian and Alaskan Native within the Pellicano surname data.

20002010Change
White97.53%94.07%-3.55%
Hispanic1.65%4.8%190.91%
Black0%0.71%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Two or More Races0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%