2000
#2,779
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,933
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.42
Uncommon Last name
Bello
An Italian surname derived from the word "bello," meaning "beautiful," "handsome," or "fair."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,511 Americans carry the last name Bello. That puts it at #1,971 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,711 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bello 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 Bello with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,711
Census rank
#1,971
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,887 bearers of the surname Bello in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1971st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bello, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 62.6%. The next largest groups are White (20.6%) and Black (11.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bello
The surname Bello is of Italian origin, derived from the Italian word "bello" meaning "beautiful" or "handsome." This name likely originated as a nickname for someone considered attractive or good-looking.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Bello can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Italy, particularly in the northern regions such as Lombardy and Veneto. It is believed that the name may have originated from the Latin word "bellus," which also means "beautiful" or "pleasing."
In the 14th century, the Bello surname appeared in historical records and manuscripts, including the tax rolls of the city of Bologna in 1315, where a certain Guglielmo Bello was listed as a taxpayer.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Bello was Francesco Bello, a renowned Italian painter and architect from Ferrara who lived in the 15th century (c. 1420-1490). His works can still be seen in various churches and palaces in northern Italy.
Another prominent figure with this surname was Antonio Bello, a 16th-century Venetian nobleman and diplomat who served as the ambassador of the Republic of Venice to the Ottoman Empire in the 1570s.
In the 17th century, the Bello name was associated with the town of Bello, located in the province of Padua, in the Veneto region of northern Italy. This town may have derived its name from the surname or vice versa, but the connection is unclear.
During the 18th century, a distinguished family with the Bello surname rose to prominence in the Kingdom of Naples. One of its members, Giuseppe Bello (1737-1816), was a renowned jurist and legal scholar who served as the president of the Supreme Court of Naples.
Another notable figure was Antonio Bello y Arce (1788-1848), a Venezuelan military leader and politician who played a significant role in the Venezuelan War of Independence. He served as the President of Venezuela from 1847 to 1848.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bello
Among Census respondents with the surname Bello, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 62.6%. The next largest groups are White (20.6%) and Black (11.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bello 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 Bello surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino62.6% · 11,192
- White20.6% · 3,689
- Black or African American11.5% · 2,049
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.0% · 708
- Two or more races1.3% · 237
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bello
Bello 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
#2,143
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,915
+4,982 bearers (+41.7%)
Per 100,000 5.73
Rank movement Up 636 places
2020
#1,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,887
+972 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 5.98
Rank movement Up 172 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,779 | 11,933 | 4.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,143 | 16,915 | 5.73 | +4,982 bearers (+41.7%) | Up 636 places |
| 2020 | #1,971 | 17,887 | 5.98 | +972 bearers (+5.7%) | Up 172 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 Bello 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 | #2,143 | #1,971 | 8.0% |
| Count | 16,915 | 17,887 | 5.7% |
| Per 100K | 5.73 | 5.98 | 4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bello bearers went from 16,915 to 17,887 (+5.7% change). The surname moved up 172 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,143 to #1,971.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bello
FAQ
Bello surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bello?
Name Census estimates that about 20,511 living Americans carry the surname Bello. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,711 residents.
How common is Bello?
Bello ranks #1,971 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,887 people with the surname Bello. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,511), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Bello.
Has Bello become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bello went from 16,915 recorded bearers to 17,887. That is an increase of 972 (+5.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,143 to #1,971.
What does the Census say about the background of Bello?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bello, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 62.6%. The next largest groups are White (20.6%) and Black (11.5%). 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 Bello in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.6% (11,192 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bello appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (62.6%), White (20.6%), Black (11.5%). 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 Bello (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 Bello mean?
An Italian surname derived from the word "bello," meaning "beautiful," "handsome," or "fair." 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 Bello (5.98 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 Bello?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.