Gandolfo
Of German origin representing "wolf of God" or "divine wolf".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Gandolfo. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gandolfo today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gandolfo births was 1925 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gandolfo. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gandolfo. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1925
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1925 SSA rank
#4,468
Tracked since 1925
Popularity
Gandolfo: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Gandolfo by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Gandolfo during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Gandolfo
Gandolfo is an Italian masculine given name derived from the Germanic elements "gand" meaning "wand" or "magic staff" and "ulf" meaning "wolf." It is believed to have originated in the Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century, during the height of the Holy Roman Empire's influence in Italy.
The name's roots can be traced back to the Lombard people, a Germanic tribe that ruled large parts of the Italian Peninsula from the 6th to the 8th century. As the Lombards assimilated into the local culture, their names mingled with Latin and Italian influences, resulting in the formation of names like Gandolfo.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gandolfo can be found in a 12th-century document from the city of Bologna, where a nobleman named Gandolfus is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use among the Italian nobility during that time period.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Gandolfo. One of the most prominent was Gandolfo di Agnani (c. 1260-1330), an Italian jurist and canon lawyer who served as a professor at the University of Bologna and later became the Bishop of Viterbo.
Another notable Gandolfo was Gandolfo Porrino (c. 1520-1590), an Italian painter and architect who was active in the late Renaissance period. His works can be found in various churches and buildings throughout Italy, particularly in the regions of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna.
In the 17th century, Gandolfo Marescotti (1595-1653) was a prominent Italian botanist and author. He is best known for his work "Viridarium Romanum," which cataloged the plants found in the gardens of Rome and its surrounding areas.
Moving into the 19th century, Gandolfo Zoppi (1834-1901) was an Italian politician and lawyer who served as a deputy in the Italian Parliament and played a significant role in the unification of Italy.
Finally, in the 20th century, Gandolfo Petri (1918-1997) was an Italian Olympic athlete who competed in the sport of fencing. He won a gold medal in the team foil event at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki.
These are just a few examples of the notable individuals who have borne the name Gandolfo throughout history, highlighting its rich cultural heritage and enduring presence in Italian society.
People
Gandolfo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gandolfo as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gandolfo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gandolfo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gandolfo going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Gandolfo a common name?
We classify Gandolfo as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gandolfo most popular?
The single biggest year for Gandolfo was 1925, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gandolfo is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Gandolfo in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gandolfo a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gandolfo in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Gandolfo still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gandolfo in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Gandolfo can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Gandolfo as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.