2000
#4,301
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,630
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.83
Rare Last name
Angelo
An Italian occupational surname referring to an angel or a messenger of God.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,482 Americans carry the last name Angelo. That puts it at #4,646 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,410 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Angelo 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Angelo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.5K
1 in 40,410
Census rank
#4,646
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,397 bearers of the surname Angelo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4646th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Angelo, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Angelo
The surname Angelo originates from Italy and can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 12th century. It is derived from the Italian word "angelo," which means "angel," suggesting that the name may have been initially given to someone with a angelic or gentle disposition.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Angelo can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico Longobardo," a collection of historical documents from the Lombard period in Italy, dating back to the 8th century. However, the name's usage as a surname is believed to have become more prevalent during the Renaissance period.
In the 13th century, the Angelo family was known for their influential presence in the city of Siena, Italy. One notable member was Iacopo Angelo, a renowned poet and philosopher who lived from around 1230 to 1310.
During the Renaissance, the Angelo family gained prominence in Florence, where they were patrons of the arts and supported the work of renowned artists like Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), who was not directly related to the family but whose name is often associated with the surname due to its similarity.
Another famous bearer of the surname was Pietro Angelo Bargeo (1517-1596), an Italian poet and humanist scholar who served as the tutor to several noble families in Italy.
In the 17th century, the Angelo family had a strong presence in the city of Naples, where they were involved in trade and commerce. One notable member was Gian Vincenzo Angelo (1600-1675), a successful merchant and philanthropist who funded the construction of several churches and charitable institutions in the city.
During the 18th century, the surname Angelo was also found in the Veneto region of Italy, where Francesco Angelo (1735-1811) was a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Church of San Giobbe in Venice.
Throughout history, the surname Angelo has been associated with individuals from various fields, including literature, arts, religion, and commerce, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Angelo
Among Census respondents with the surname Angelo, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Angelo 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 Angelo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.3% · 6,089
- Hispanic or Latino7.7% · 567
- Two or more races3.6% · 268
- Black or African American3.4% · 253
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 186
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Angelo
Angelo 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
#4,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,728
+98 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 2.62
Rank movement Down 289 places
2020
#4,646
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,397
-331 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 2.47
Rank movement Down 56 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,301 | 7,630 | 2.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,590 | 7,728 | 2.62 | +98 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 289 places |
| 2020 | #4,646 | 7,397 | 2.47 | -331 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 56 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 Angelo 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 | #4,590 | #4,646 | -1.2% |
| Count | 7,728 | 7,397 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.62 | 2.47 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Angelo bearers went from 7,728 to 7,397 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 56 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,590 to #4,646.
FAQ
Angelo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Angelo?
Name Census estimates that about 8,482 living Americans carry the surname Angelo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,410 residents.
How common is Angelo?
Angelo ranks #4,646 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,397 people with the surname Angelo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,482), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Angelo.
Has Angelo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Angelo went from 7,728 recorded bearers to 7,397. That is a decrease of 331 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,590 to #4,646.
What does the Census say about the background of Angelo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Angelo, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Angelo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.3% (6,089 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Angelo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.3%), Hispanic (7.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Angelo (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 Angelo mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to an angel or a messenger of God. 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 Angelo (2.47 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 Americans have the surname Angelo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.