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The surname Napoleon

An Italian surname, carried by 2,624 people in the United States.

Pronounced /nəˈpəʊ.li.ən/ 4 syllables Soundex N145 Also a first name

Napoleon: #11,928 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#10Martinez#100Jimenez#1,000Archer Napoleon #11,928, 2,624 people Napoleon: #11,928 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#100Jimenez Napoleon #11,928, 2,624 people
Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Napoleon is more common than 92.6% of them.

Origin

Italian origin

From French Napoléon, from Italian Napoleone, name of an early saint, of uncertain origin; possibly from the Germanic clan name Nibelung. By folk etymology explained as Napoli (“Naples”) + leone (“lion”).

One of 798 Italian surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 2,624 people named Napoleon in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 117,662 Americans. That is up 21% since 2000, when the Census counted 2,161.

#11,928
rank among US surnames
2,624
people in 2010
0.9
per 100,000 Americans
+21.4%
change since 2000 (was #13,005)
RankSurnamePeople1 in
#11,919Karsten2,627117,528
#11,925Festa2,626117,573
#11,926Brass2,625117,617
#11,928Polansky2,624117,662
#11,932Kamal2,623117,707
#11,933Ballance2,622117,752
#11,936Okane2,621117,797

Who is named Napoleon

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

43% of people named Napoleon identified as Black (not Hispanic), 32% as white (not Hispanic) and 9.2% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

  • Black (not Hispanic) 43%
  • White (not Hispanic) 32%
  • Hispanic or Latino (any race) 9.2%
  • Two or more races 7.5%
  • Asian and Pacific Islander 5.7%
  • American Indian and Alaska Native 3.0%

Compare: most common surnames among Black Americans.

Famous Napoleons

3 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

  • Phil Napoleon
    American jazz musician (1901–1990)
  • Randy Napoleon
    American musician, born 1977
  • Marty Napoleon
    American pianist (1921–2015)

Other Italian surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Napoleon come from?
From French Napoléon, from Italian Napoleone, name of an early saint, of uncertain origin; possibly from the Germanic clan name Nibelung. By folk etymology explained as Napoli (“Naples”) + leone (“lion”).
How common is the surname Napoleon?
2,624 people in the United States had the surname Napoleon in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 117,662 Americans. It ranked 11,928th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Napoleon?
In the 2010 Census, 43% of people named Napoleon identified as Black (not Hispanic), and 32% as white (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Napoleon?
Phil Napoleon, American jazz musician (1901–1990), followed by Randy Napoleon.
Where is the surname Napoleon most common?
Wikidata records people named Napoleon in the United States.
How do you pronounce Napoleon?
Napoleon is /nəˈpəʊ.li.ən/, 4 syllables.
Is the surname Napoleon getting more or less common?
More common. 2,161 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 2,624 in 2010, up 21%.
Is Napoleon also a first name?
Yes. Napoleon is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.