2000
#20,191
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,227
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.45
Rare Last name
Beato
A surname derived from the Italian word 'beato', meaning blessed or beatified.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,212 Americans carry the last name Beato. That puts it at #14,772 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 154,952 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beato 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 154,952
Census rank
#14,772
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,929 bearers of the surname Beato in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14772nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beato, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 73.0%. The next largest groups are White (20.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beato
The surname "BEATO" has its origins in Italy, specifically in the central and southern regions. It likely emerged during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "beato," which means "blessed" or "beatified."
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Beato can be found in the "Libro d'Oro della Nobiltà Italiana" (Book of Gold of the Italian Nobility), a historical record of noble families in Italy from the 15th century. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with the Italian nobility or upper classes.
The surname Beato is believed to have originated as a descriptive name, possibly given to individuals who were considered to be virtuous, pious, or blessed in some way. It may have also been used as a nickname or a reference to someone who had achieved a state of blessedness or beatification within the Catholic Church.
In the 16th century, there are records of a prominent Neapolitan family named Beato, who owned lands and held positions of influence in the Kingdom of Naples. One notable figure from this family was Gian Battista Beato, a scholar and humanist born in 1520, who wrote extensively on philosophy and theology.
Another historical figure with the surname Beato was Felice Beato, an Italian-British photographer born in 1834. He is renowned for his pioneering work in documenting the Crimean War and the Second Opium War in China through his photographs, providing invaluable visual records of these conflicts.
In the 19th century, the name Beato appears in records from various regions of Italy, including Calabria, Campania, and Sicily. One notable individual was Vincenzo Beato, a Sicilian painter born in 1829, who is known for his religious and historical works.
Throughout history, the surname Beato has been associated with various professions and fields, including the clergy, academia, arts, and literature. While not an extremely common name, it has persisted over centuries and continues to be present in various parts of Italy and among Italian communities around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beato
Among Census respondents with the surname Beato, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 73.0%. The next largest groups are White (20.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Beato 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 Beato surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino73.0% · 1,408
- White20.5% · 396
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 73
- Black or African American1.6% · 31
- Two or more races1.0% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beato
Beato 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
#19,291
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,404
+177 bearers (+14.4%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Up 900 places
2020
#14,772
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,929
+525 bearers (+37.4%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 4,519 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,191 | 1,227 | 0.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,291 | 1,404 | 0.48 | +177 bearers (+14.4%) | Up 900 places |
| 2020 | #14,772 | 1,929 | 0.65 | +525 bearers (+37.4%) | Up 4,519 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 Beato 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 | #19,291 | #14,772 | 23.4% |
| Count | 1,404 | 1,929 | 37.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.48 | 0.65 | 34.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beato bearers went from 1,404 to 1,929 (+37.4% change). The surname moved up 4,519 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,291 to #14,772.
FAQ
Beato surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beato?
Name Census estimates that about 2,212 living Americans carry the surname Beato. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 154,952 residents.
How common is Beato?
Beato ranks #14,772 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,929 people with the surname Beato. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,212), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Beato.
Has Beato become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beato went from 1,404 recorded bearers to 1,929. That is an increase of 525 (+37.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #19,291 to #14,772.
What does the Census say about the background of Beato?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beato, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 73.0%. The next largest groups are White (20.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Beato in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.0% (1,408 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beato appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (73.0%), White (20.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%). 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 Beato (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 Beato mean?
A surname derived from the Italian word 'beato', meaning blessed or beatified. 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 Beato (0.65 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 are called Beato?
You can see how many people have the last name Beato on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.