2000
#14,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,976
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Alaimo
An Italian surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name or a nickname meaning "one who feeds."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,191 Americans carry the last name Alaimo. That puts it at #14,878 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 156,437 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alaimo surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 156,437
Census rank
#14,878
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,911 bearers of the surname Alaimo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14878th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alaimo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alaimo
The surname ALAIMO has its origins in Sicily, Italy, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Arabic word "al-aym," which means "the blind one." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone with a visual impairment or possibly used as a nickname.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname ALAIMO can be traced back to the 13th century in various Sicilian documents and records. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Guglielmo ALAIMO, a nobleman from the town of Aidone, who lived in the late 13th century.
In the 15th century, the name ALAIMO appeared in the records of the Spanish Inquisition in Sicily, indicating the presence of individuals with this surname during that tumultuous period. One notable figure was Pietro ALAIMO, who was accused of heresy by the Inquisition in 1497.
During the Renaissance, the ALAIMO name gained prominence in the arts and literature. Francesco ALAIMO, a renowned poet and writer, was born in Palermo in 1556 and is considered one of the most influential figures of Sicilian literature during the 16th century.
In the 18th century, Giovanni ALAIMO, a prominent architect and engineer from Catania, was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings and structures in Sicily, including the Church of Santa Maria della Consolazione in Acireale.
Another notable figure was Vincenzo ALAIMO, a celebrated painter from Palermo who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His works, showcasing the Sicilian Baroque style, can be found in various churches and galleries across the island.
As the name spread beyond Sicily, it gained recognition in other parts of Italy and abroad. One of the most famous bearers of the ALAIMO surname was Antonio ALAIMO, a renowned Italian opera singer who was born in Naples in 1856 and enjoyed a successful career performing in major opera houses throughout Europe.
Throughout its history, the surname ALAIMO has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including artists, writers, architects, and intellectuals, all contributing to the rich cultural heritage of Sicily and Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alaimo
Among Census respondents with the surname Alaimo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Alaimo bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Alaimo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 1,737
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 97
- Two or more races2.3% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 17
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alaimo
Alaimo appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#14,233
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,107
+131 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 227 places
2020
#14,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,911
-196 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 645 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,006 | 1,976 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,233 | 2,107 | 0.71 | +131 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 227 places |
| 2020 | #14,878 | 1,911 | 0.64 | -196 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 645 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Alaimo surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,233 | #14,878 | -4.5% |
| Count | 2,107 | 1,911 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.64 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alaimo bearers went from 2,107 to 1,911 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 645 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,233 to #14,878.
FAQ
Alaimo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alaimo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,191 living Americans carry the surname Alaimo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 156,437 residents.
How common is Alaimo?
Alaimo ranks #14,878 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,911 people with the surname Alaimo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,191), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Alaimo.
Has Alaimo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alaimo went from 2,107 recorded bearers to 1,911. That is a decrease of 196 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,233 to #14,878.
What does the Census say about the background of Alaimo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alaimo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Alaimo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (1,737 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alaimo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (2.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Alaimo (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Alaimo mean?
An Italian surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name or a nickname meaning "one who feeds." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Alaimo (0.64 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Alaimo?
You can see how common the surname Alaimo is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.