2000
#9,806
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,045
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Carnevale
An Italian surname derived from the festival of Carnival, suggesting an ancestor's association with the celebration.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,022 Americans carry the last name Carnevale. That puts it at #11,436 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,420 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carnevale 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 Carnevale with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 113,420
Census rank
#11,436
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,635 bearers of the surname Carnevale in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11436th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carnevale, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carnevale
The surname Carnevale originates from Italy and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "carnevale," which means "carnival" or "farewell to meat." This suggests that the name may have been associated with the carnival or Lenten festivities in Italy.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Carnevale can be found in historical records from various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Lombardy, and Sicily. In the 13th century, the name appeared in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of documents from the Benedictine monastery of Cava dei Tirreni in Campania.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Carnevale was Nicola Carnevale, a Sicilian painter and sculptor who lived in the late 15th century. His works can be found in churches and museums across Sicily, including the Cathedral of Palermo.
In the 16th century, the name Carnevale was associated with a family of artists from Mantua in northern Italy. Girolamo Carnevale (1518-1584) was a renowned painter and architect who worked on various projects for the Gonzaga family, the rulers of Mantua.
During the Renaissance period, the name Carnevale was also found in the literary circles of Italy. Vincenzo Carnevale (1531-1603) was a poet and scholar from Naples who was known for his sonnets and other literary works.
In the 17th century, the Carnevale family had a presence in the city of Genoa. Stefano Carnevale (1624-1681) was a prominent merchant and banker who was involved in international trade and finance.
Another notable figure with the surname Carnevale was Giacomo Carnevale (1675-1749), an Italian architect and engineer who designed several churches and palaces in Rome and other parts of Italy.
Over the centuries, the surname Carnevale has spread to various regions of Italy and beyond, with variations in spelling such as Carnavale, Carnavali, and Carnavalle. However, the historical roots of the name remain firmly rooted in the cultural traditions and festivities of medieval and Renaissance Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carnevale
Among Census respondents with the surname Carnevale, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Carnevale 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 Carnevale surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 2,450
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 115
- Two or more races1.2% · 31
- Black or African American0.6% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carnevale
Carnevale 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
#10,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,101
+56 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 585 places
2020
#11,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,635
-466 bearers (-15.0%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 1,045 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,806 | 3,045 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,391 | 3,101 | 1.05 | +56 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 585 places |
| 2020 | #11,436 | 2,635 | 0.88 | -466 bearers (-15.0%) | Down 1,045 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 Carnevale 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 | #10,391 | #11,436 | -10.1% |
| Count | 3,101 | 2,635 | -15.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.88 | -16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carnevale bearers went from 3,101 to 2,635 (-15.0% change). The surname moved down 1,045 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,391 to #11,436.
FAQ
Carnevale surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carnevale?
Name Census estimates that about 3,022 living Americans carry the surname Carnevale. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,420 residents.
How common is Carnevale?
Carnevale ranks #11,436 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,635 people with the surname Carnevale. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,022), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Carnevale.
Has Carnevale become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carnevale went from 3,101 recorded bearers to 2,635. That is a decrease of 466 (-15.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,391 to #11,436.
What does the Census say about the background of Carnevale?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carnevale, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (1.2%). 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 Carnevale in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (2,450 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carnevale appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (1.2%). 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 Carnevale (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 Carnevale mean?
An Italian surname derived from the festival of Carnival, suggesting an ancestor's association with the celebration. 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 Carnevale (0.88 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 Carnevale?
Find out how many people are called Carnevale on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.