2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Basallo
A surname of Spanish origin meaning 'place of flat stones'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Basallo. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Basallo 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Basallo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Basallo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 58.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.3%) and White (6.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Basallo
The surname Basallo originated in Italy, with its earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "basso," meaning "low" or "short," suggesting it was initially a descriptive nickname for someone of small stature.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the records of the city of Genoa, where a certain Giacomo Basallo was documented as a merchant in 1287. This suggests that the name was well-established in the region by that time.
During the late medieval period, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Italy, including Sicily and Naples. In the 16th century, records show several Basallo families residing in the town of Castel di Sangro, located in the Abruzzo region.
A notable figure bearing the Basallo name was Giovanni Basallo, a Sicilian painter who lived from 1589 to 1649. He was renowned for his religious works, including several altarpieces commissioned for churches in Palermo and Messina.
In the 18th century, the Basallo surname gained prominence in the Kingdom of Naples, where several individuals held positions of influence. One such figure was Antonio Basallo, a lawyer and magistrate who served as a judge in the city of Naples from 1746 to 1783.
Another notable bearer of the name was Vincenzo Basallo, a Neapolitan composer and music theorist who lived from 1776 to 1842. He is best known for his treatise on the principles of counterpoint and harmony, which was widely studied in music academies throughout Europe.
As Italian immigrants began to settle in other parts of the world, the Basallo surname spread beyond its original homeland. For instance, in the late 19th century, several Basallo families established themselves in Argentina, where they contributed to the cultural and economic development of the country.
One such individual was José Basallo, an Argentine architect born in 1886, who played a significant role in the construction of several notable buildings in Buenos Aires, including the iconic Palacio de Aguas Corrientes.
Overall, the surname Basallo has a rich history rooted in Italy, with its earliest known origins dating back to the medieval period. Throughout the centuries, it has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, lawyers, and architects, leaving an indelible mark on the cultural and intellectual landscapes of their respective regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Basallo
Among Census respondents with the surname Basallo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 58.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.3%) and White (6.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Basallo 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 Basallo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander58.7% · 64
- Hispanic or Latino30.3% · 33
- White6.4% · 7
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Basallo
Basallo 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+20 bearers (+19.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,196 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-16 bearers (-12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,493 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +20 bearers (+19.0%) | Up 10,196 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.8%) | Down 15,493 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 Basallo 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 | #134,712 | #150,205 | -11.5% |
| Count | 125 | 109 | -12.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Basallo bearers went from 125 to 109 (-12.8% change). The surname moved down 15,493 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #150,205.
FAQ
Basallo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Basallo?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Basallo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Basallo?
Basallo ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Basallo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Basallo.
Has Basallo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Basallo went from 125 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 16 (-12.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Basallo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Basallo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 58.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.3%) and White (6.4%). 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 Basallo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.7% (64 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Basallo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (58.7%), Hispanic (30.3%), White (6.4%). 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 Basallo (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 Basallo mean?
A surname of Spanish origin meaning 'place of flat stones'. 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 Basallo (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 Basallo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.