2000
#30,970
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 709
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.26
Very Rare Last name
Caravello
An Italian surname referring to someone from Caravello, Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 872 Americans carry the last name Caravello. That puts it at #32,440 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 393,067 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caravello 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
872
1 in 393,067
Census rank
#32,440
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
760
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 760 bearers of the surname Caravello in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 32440th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caravello, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caravello
The surname Caravello is of Italian origin, stemming from the northern regions of Italy. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "caravella," which refers to a small, fast sailing ship used for exploration and trade in the Mediterranean during the 15th and 16th centuries.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Caravello can be traced back to the late 15th century in the coastal regions of Genoa and Venice. These maritime cities were hubs for shipbuilding and seafaring during the Renaissance era, and it is likely that the name was initially associated with individuals involved in these industries.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Caravello was Niccolò Caravello, a Venetian navigator born around 1470. He is documented as leading several expeditions to the eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea, where he conducted trade and mapping ventures on behalf of the Venetian Republic.
In the 16th century, the Caravello family established roots in the city of Genoa, where they were involved in shipbuilding and maritime commerce. Notable members of the Genoese branch include Gianbattista Caravello (1525-1593), a renowned shipwright who designed and constructed several galleys for the Republic of Genoa's naval fleet.
As the surname spread across Italy, it also appeared in various historical records and documents. In the late 16th century, a certain Lucrezia Caravello was mentioned in a legal document from the city of Pisa, where she was involved in a property dispute.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Caravello name gained prominence in the arts, with several individuals achieving recognition as painters and sculptors. One such artist was Cesare Caravello (1620-1697), a Neapolitan painter known for his religious works and frescoes adorning churches throughout southern Italy.
Another notable bearer of the Caravello surname was Francesco Caravello (1745-1819), a celebrated sculptor from the city of Carrara. His works included marble busts and statues commissioned by nobles and ecclesiastical patrons across Europe.
As the centuries progressed, the Caravello family continued to maintain a presence in various regions of Italy, with some members also emigrating to other parts of the world, carrying the surname with them.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caravello
Among Census respondents with the surname Caravello, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Caravello 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 Caravello surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 688
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 41
- Two or more races2.0% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 6
- Black or African American0.7% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caravello
Caravello 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
#30,980
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 750
+41 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 10 places
2020
#32,440
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 760
+10 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 1,460 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,970 | 709 | 0.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #30,980 | 750 | 0.25 | +41 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 10 places |
| 2020 | #32,440 | 760 | 0.25 | +10 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 1,460 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 Caravello 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 | #30,980 | #32,440 | -4.7% |
| Count | 750 | 760 | 1.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.25 | 0.25 | 1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caravello bearers went from 750 to 760 (+1.3% change). The surname moved down 1,460 positions in the national ranking, going from #30,980 to #32,440.
FAQ
Caravello surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caravello?
Name Census estimates that about 872 living Americans carry the surname Caravello. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 393,067 residents.
How common is Caravello?
Caravello ranks #32,440 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.25 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 760 people with the surname Caravello. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (872), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.25 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 Caravello.
Has Caravello become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caravello went from 750 recorded bearers to 760. That is an increase of 10 (+1.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #30,980 to #32,440.
What does the Census say about the background of Caravello?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caravello, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Caravello in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (688 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caravello appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (5.4%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Caravello (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 Caravello mean?
An Italian surname referring to someone from Caravello, Italy. 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 Caravello (0.25 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 common is the surname Caravello?
Want to know how many people have the last name Caravello? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.