2000
#3,284
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,012
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.71
Uncommon Last name
Carbone
An Italian occupational surname referring to a coal miner, charcoal maker, or someone who worked with carbon.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,026 Americans carry the last name Carbone. That puts it at #3,610 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,086 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carbone 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 Carbone with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,086
Census rank
#3,610
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.6K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,615 bearers of the surname Carbone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3610th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carbone, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carbone
The surname Carbone has its origins in Italy, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "carbone," meaning "coal" or "charcoal." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely involved in the coal or charcoal trade, or perhaps lived near a coal-producing area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Carbone surname can be found in the historic archives of Naples, where a certain Giovanni Carbone is mentioned in a document from 1287. This indicates that the name was already established in the southern Italian region during the 13th century.
Another notable early reference to the Carbone name appears in the "Codice Diplomatico Barese," a collection of historical documents from the city of Bari in southern Italy, dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries. This suggests that the name may have originated or gained prominence in the Apulian region of Italy.
As the Carbone family spread throughout Italy over the centuries, variations in spelling emerged, such as Carboni and Carbonetti. Some of these variants may have been influenced by local dialects or geographic areas, reflecting the diverse linguistic landscape of the Italian peninsula.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Carbone surname was Gian Battista Carbone, a prominent Italian painter and architect who lived from 1556 to 1637. He was known for his work in the Baroque style and left a lasting legacy in the art and architecture of Naples.
Another notable figure was Vincenzo Carbone, an Italian composer and musician who lived from 1770 to 1846. He was a prolific composer of operas and sacred music and was highly regarded in his time.
In the 19th century, Domenico Carbone (1826-1897) was a prominent Italian politician and statesman who served as the Minister of Justice and later as the President of the Chamber of Deputies.
Across the Atlantic, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Carbone surname in the United States was that of Giuseppe Carbone, an Italian immigrant who arrived in New York in the late 19th century and established a successful business in the import-export trade.
Finally, it is worth mentioning the American artist and sculptor Joseph Carbone (1923-2004), whose works were widely exhibited and acquired by major museums and private collections throughout his career.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the Carbone surname throughout history, reflecting the name's deep roots in Italian culture and its subsequent spread across the globe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carbone
Among Census respondents with the surname Carbone, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Carbone 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 Carbone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 8,687
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 579
- Two or more races2.2% · 216
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 69
- Black or African American0.4% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carbone
Carbone 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
#3,371
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,591
+579 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 3.59
Rank movement Down 87 places
2020
#3,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,615
-976 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 3.22
Rank movement Down 239 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,284 | 10,012 | 3.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,371 | 10,591 | 3.59 | +579 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 87 places |
| 2020 | #3,610 | 9,615 | 3.22 | -976 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 239 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 Carbone 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 | #3,371 | #3,610 | -7.1% |
| Count | 10,591 | 9,615 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.59 | 3.22 | -10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carbone bearers went from 10,591 to 9,615 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 239 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,371 to #3,610.
FAQ
Carbone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carbone?
Name Census estimates that about 11,026 living Americans carry the surname Carbone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,086 residents.
How common is Carbone?
Carbone ranks #3,610 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,615 people with the surname Carbone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,026), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Carbone.
Has Carbone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carbone went from 10,591 recorded bearers to 9,615. That is a decrease of 976 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,371 to #3,610.
What does the Census say about the background of Carbone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carbone, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Carbone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (8,687 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carbone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (6.0%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Carbone (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 Carbone mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a coal miner, charcoal maker, or someone who worked with carbon. 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 Carbone (3.22 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 Americans have the surname Carbone?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.