2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Calligaro
A surname of Greek origin meaning 'beautiful stranger'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Calligaro. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Calligaro 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Calligaro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Calligaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Calligaro
The surname Calligaro has its origins in Italy, specifically in the northern regions of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Latin word "calligarius," which means "shoemaker" or "cobbler."
Historically, surnames often originated from occupations, and Calligaro likely referred to an ancestor who worked as a shoemaker or was involved in the leather trade. This occupation-based surname suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely craftsmen or artisans in the shoe-making industry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Calligaro surname can be found in the 1397 Venetian census, where a certain Giovanni Calligaro was listed as a resident of the city. This record provides evidence that the name was already established in the Venetian area by the late 14th century.
In the 16th century, the name appears in the historic records of the city of Udine, located in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. A notable figure bearing this surname was Bartolomeo Calligaro, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in Udine during the mid-1500s.
As the surname spread across northern Italy, variations in spelling emerged, such as Calligari, Calligaris, and Calligara. These variations likely stemmed from regional dialects and local pronunciation variations.
One of the most famous individuals bearing the Calligaro surname was Giacomo Calligaro (1844-1926), an Italian painter and sculptor known for his realistic portrayal of everyday life in Venice. His works can be found in various museums and galleries across Italy and Europe.
Another notable figure was Antonio Calligaro (1867-1933), a renowned architect from Udine who designed several notable buildings in the city, including the Palazzo del Municipio and the Palazzo della Banca Nazionale.
In the late 19th century, a branch of the Calligaro family emigrated to Argentina, where they established themselves in the city of Buenos Aires. One of their descendants, Enrique Calligaro (1904-1987), became a prominent lawyer and politician, serving as a member of the Argentine Congress.
Throughout the centuries, the Calligaro surname has maintained a strong presence in northern Italy, particularly in the regions of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, where it originated. While the name may have evolved in spelling and spread to different parts of the world, its roots can be traced back to the medieval era and the occupation of shoemaking.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Calligaro
Among Census respondents with the surname Calligaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Calligaro 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 Calligaro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino8.8% · 10
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Calligaro
Calligaro 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
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,346 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,346 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 Calligaro 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 | #143,149 | #146,495 | -2.3% |
| Count | 116 | 114 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Calligaro bearers went from 116 to 114 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,346 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #146,495.
FAQ
Calligaro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Calligaro?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Calligaro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Calligaro?
Calligaro ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Calligaro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Calligaro.
Has Calligaro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Calligaro went from 116 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Calligaro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Calligaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Calligaro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Calligaro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Hispanic (8.8%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Calligaro (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 Calligaro mean?
A surname of Greek origin meaning 'beautiful stranger'. 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 Calligaro (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 have the surname Calligaro?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.