2000
#16,673
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,581
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.59
Rare Last name
Caraveo
Derived from a place name referring to a village in Spain or from the Italian word "caravella," meaning "caravel."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,296 Americans carry the last name Caraveo. That puts it at #14,377 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,283 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caraveo 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
2.3K
1 in 149,283
Census rank
#14,377
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,002 bearers of the surname Caraveo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14377th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caraveo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caraveo
The surname Caraveo has its origins in Italy, dating back to the early Middle Ages around the 9th or 10th century AD. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "caravella," which means a small ship or caravel. The name likely referred to someone who worked on or owned a small ship, possibly a merchant or sailor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Caraveo can be found in the historical records of the city of Genoa, a prominent maritime republic in northern Italy. In the 12th century, a family of shipbuilders and merchants bearing the name Caraveo was documented in the city's archives.
During the Renaissance period, the Caraveo family rose to prominence in the coastal regions of Italy, particularly in the cities of Genoa and Naples. In the 15th century, a wealthy merchant named Giovanni Caraveo was noted for his successful trading ventures and his patronage of the arts.
In the 16th century, a renowned Italian sculptor, Girolamo Caraveo, was commissioned to create several works for churches and palaces in Rome and Florence. His most notable work was a marble sculpture of the Virgin Mary, which is still on display in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.
Another notable figure with the surname Caraveo was Tommaso Caraveo, a Neapolitan philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 17th century. He authored several treatises on geometry and was a respected scholar in his time.
Moving into the 18th century, a member of the Caraveo family, Antonio Caraveo, was a successful vintner and landowner in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. His vineyards produced some of the finest wines in the region, and he was known for his philanthropic efforts in supporting local communities.
Throughout the centuries, the Caraveo surname has also been found in various spellings, such as Caravello, Caravelli, and Caravea, reflecting the regional differences and linguistic variations within Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caraveo
Among Census respondents with the surname Caraveo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Caraveo 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 Caraveo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.0% · 1,822
- White6.9% · 138
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 12
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
- Two or more races0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caraveo
Caraveo 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
#14,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,060
+479 bearers (+30.3%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 2,184 places
2020
#14,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,002
-58 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,673 | 1,581 | 0.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,489 | 2,060 | 0.70 | +479 bearers (+30.3%) | Up 2,184 places |
| 2020 | #14,377 | 2,002 | 0.67 | -58 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 112 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 Caraveo 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 | #14,489 | #14,377 | 0.8% |
| Count | 2,060 | 2,002 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.67 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caraveo bearers went from 2,060 to 2,002 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,489 to #14,377.
FAQ
Caraveo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caraveo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,296 living Americans carry the surname Caraveo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,283 residents.
How common is Caraveo?
Caraveo ranks #14,377 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,002 people with the surname Caraveo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,296), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Caraveo.
Has Caraveo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caraveo went from 2,060 recorded bearers to 2,002. That is a decrease of 58 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,489 to #14,377.
What does the Census say about the background of Caraveo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caraveo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Caraveo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (1,822 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caraveo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.0%), White (6.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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 Caraveo (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 Caraveo mean?
Derived from a place name referring to a village in Spain or from the Italian word "caravella," meaning "caravel." 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 Caraveo (0.67 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 Caraveo?
You can see how many people are called Caraveo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.