Explore the Family Name Puro

The meaning of Puro

1. Finnish: ornamental name from puro ‘creek, brook’, adopted in the 19th century by Finns without surnames and in the name-changing campaigns of the late 19th and early 20th centuries mainly by Finns with Swedish surnames (compare Laine 4). In Ostrobothnia, it is a habitational name from farms so named. As an American surname, it may also be a shortened form of a longer Finnish compound name such as Hautapuro, from hauta ‘pit’ + puro ‘creek, brook’. 2. Italian: from puro ‘pure, honest’, applied as a personal name, or occasionally as a nickname. Some characteristic forenames: Finnish Reino, Toivo, Wilho.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Puro saw a shift in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 54,766 in terms of popularity but by 2010, its rank had slipped to 59,470, marking an 8.59% decrease. Similarly, the count of individuals with the surname Puro also fell from 352 to 340, a drop of 3.41%. This reflects a proportional decrease per 100,000 people from 0.13 to 0.12, translating to a 7.69% decline.

20002010Change
Rank#54,766#59,470-8.59%
Count352340-3.41%
Proportion per 100k0.130.12-7.69%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Puro

Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Puro, there were some noteworthy changes from 2000 to 2010 as per the Decennial U.S. Census. The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander more than tripled, rising from 2.27% to 7.94%. However, the proportion of those identifying as two or more races decreased from 3.41% to 2.06%, a fall of 39.59%. Meanwhile, the percentage of those identifying as White decreased slightly from 88.07% to 83.53%. The percentage of individuals identifying as Hispanic dropped from 5.40% to 4.41%. Notably, the Black demographic made its appearance in 2010 at 2.06%, while the data for American Indian and Alaskan Native remained suppressed due to privacy concerns.

20002010Change
White88.07%83.53%-5.15%
Asian/Pacific Islander2.27%7.94%249.78%
Hispanic5.4%4.41%-18.33%
Two or More Races3.41%2.06%-39.59%
Black0%2.06%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%