2000
#116,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Caretto
A surname of Italian origin referring to a cart or wagon driver.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Caretto. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caretto 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Caretto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caretto, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.8%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caretto
The surname Caretto is of Italian origin, originating from the northern region of Piedmont in the 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Italian word "carra," which means "cart" or "wagon," suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who worked as a carter or cart driver.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Caretto can be found in the 1396 census records of the town of Alba, where a man named Giovanni Caretto was listed as a resident. This indicates that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 14th century.
During the 15th century, the Caretto family became prominent in the city of Finale Ligure, located in the coastal region of Liguria. In 1452, Alfonso Caretto was appointed as the Lord of Finale by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III, and the Caretto family ruled over the city-state for several generations.
A notable figure from the Caretto family was Galeotto Caretto, who lived from 1487 to 1557. He was a renowned military commander and diplomat, serving as the Governor of Genoa and playing a crucial role in the Italian Wars of the 16th century.
Another distinguished member of the Caretto family was Scipione Caretto, born in 1556 and died in 1629. He was a Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Savona and later became the Apostolic Nuncio to France.
In the 17th century, the name Caretto appeared in several historical records related to the Duchy of Savoy. One notable figure from this period was Vittorio Amedeo Caretto, who was born in 1638 and served as a military officer in the Savoyard army during the Franco-Savoyard War.
The surname Caretto can also be traced to the town of Carretto, located in the province of Alessandria, Piedmont. It is possible that some individuals with this surname may have originated from or had ties to this location.
Throughout history, the Caretto family has made significant contributions to various fields, including military, politics, and religion, particularly in the regions of Piedmont and Liguria. While the name may have originated from a humble occupation, it has gained prominence and recognition over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caretto
Among Census respondents with the surname Caretto, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.8%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Caretto 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 Caretto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.5% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino15.8% · 19
- Two or more races5.8% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 3
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caretto
Caretto 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
-9 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,544 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-9 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,670 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,835 | 138 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 14,544 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 10,670 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 Caretto 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 | #131,379 | #142,049 | -8.1% |
| Count | 129 | 120 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caretto bearers went from 129 to 120 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 10,670 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #142,049.
FAQ
Caretto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caretto?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Caretto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Caretto?
Caretto ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Caretto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Caretto.
Has Caretto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caretto went from 129 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Caretto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caretto, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.8%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Caretto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.5% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caretto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.5%), Hispanic (15.8%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Caretto (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 Caretto mean?
A surname of Italian origin referring to a cart or wagon driver. 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 Caretto (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 share the surname Caretto?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.