2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Balaoro
A surname possibly derived from the Romanian words "bal" meaning dance and "aur" meaning gold.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Balaoro. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Balaoro 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Balaoro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Balaoro, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.5%. The next largest groups are White (10.3%) and Two or More Races (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Balaoro
The surname BALAORO has its origins in Italy, specifically in the region of Calabria in the southern part of the country. It is believed to have emerged during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Greek word "balauros," which means "pomegranate blossom." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who lived in areas where pomegranate trees were abundant or had some association with the fruit.
In the early records of the region, the name appeared in various spellings, such as BALAURO, BALAURA, and BALAURI, reflecting the local dialects and variations in pronunciation. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in a document from the town of Reggio Calabria, dated 1327, which mentions a certain "Giovanni Balauro."
The BALAORO surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Pietro Balaoro, a merchant from Cosenza who lived in the late 15th century and is credited with establishing trade routes between Calabria and the Levant. Another prominent figure was Guglielmo Balaoro, a physician and scholar from Catanzaro who lived in the 16th century and wrote extensively on medicinal plants and their uses.
In the 17th century, the name appears in connection with the town of Vibo Valentia, where a family of landowners and noblemen bearing the name BALAORO held significant influence. One member of this family, Domenico Balaoro (1632-1698), was a prominent jurist and served as a judge in the city's court.
The 18th century saw the rise of Francesco Balaoro (1712-1788), a renowned painter from Reggio Calabria whose works were highly admired for their attention to detail and use of vibrant colors. His paintings can still be found in various churches and galleries throughout southern Italy.
Moving into the 19th century, the BALAORO name gained prominence in the field of literature with the writer and poet Giuseppe Balaoro (1823-1892). Born in Catanzaro, his works often explored themes of love, nature, and the beauty of his native Calabria.
While the BALAORO surname has its roots in southern Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the country and beyond, carried by individuals and families who have migrated over the centuries. However, its connection to the region of Calabria and the rich cultural heritage of that area remains a defining characteristic of this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Balaoro
Among Census respondents with the surname Balaoro, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.5%. The next largest groups are White (10.3%) and Two or More Races (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Balaoro 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 Balaoro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander79.5% · 93
- White10.3% · 12
- Two or more races6.8% · 8
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Balaoro
Balaoro appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+9 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,262 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.3%) | Up 7,262 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 Balaoro 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 | #151,532 | #144,270 | 4.8% |
| Count | 108 | 117 | 8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Balaoro bearers went from 108 to 117 (+8.3% change). The surname moved up 7,262 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #144,270.
FAQ
Balaoro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Balaoro?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Balaoro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Balaoro?
Balaoro ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Balaoro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Balaoro.
Has Balaoro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Balaoro went from 108 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 9 (+8.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Balaoro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Balaoro, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.5%. The next largest groups are White (10.3%) and Two or More Races (6.8%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Balaoro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.5% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Balaoro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (79.5%), White (10.3%), Two or More Races (6.8%). 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 Balaoro (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 Balaoro mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Romanian words "bal" meaning dance and "aur" meaning gold. 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 Balaoro (0.04 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 share the surname Balaoro?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.