Find out how popular the last name Caro is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Caro.

Caro, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Caro surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Caro in America

Caro is the 3545th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Caro surname appeared 10,064 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Caro.

We can also compare 2010 data for Caro to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Caro

The surname Caro originates from Italy, with records dating back to the late 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "carus," meaning "dear" or "beloved." This name was likely initially given as a nickname to someone who was highly regarded or cherished within their community.

In the 15th century, the name Caro appeared in various Italian records, including the Catasto Fiorentino, a tax record from Florence. One notable example is Niccolo di Giovanni Caro, a merchant from Pisa who lived around 1430.

The earliest known record of the surname Caro can be found in a document from 1390, which mentions a Jacobo Caro from the city of Genoa. This suggests that the name may have originated in the northern regions of Italy before spreading to other areas.

During the Renaissance period, several notable individuals bore the surname Caro. Annibal Caro (1507-1566) was a renowned Italian poet and translator who is best known for his translation of Virgil's Aeneid into Italian verse. Another famous bearer of the name was Cardinal Girolamo Caro (1537-1611), a Catholic prelate and diplomat who served as the Bishop of Palestrina.

In the 17th century, the name Caro appeared in records from the Spanish city of Seville, indicating that Italian families with this surname may have migrated to Spain during this period. One example is Juan Caro, a merchant who lived in Seville in the 1650s.

As the surname spread across Europe, it also found its way to England. In the 18th century, a notable figure was the English author and translator Robert Caro (1734-1787), who is remembered for his translations of ancient Greek and Latin texts.

Other notable individuals with the surname Caro include the French writer and philosopher Elme-Marie Caro (1826-1887), who was born in Rennes, and the Portuguese politician and diplomat José Caro (1844-1930), who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Portugal in the late 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Caro

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Caro.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Caro was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Caro has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Caro was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Caro, please contact us.

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