2000
#8,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,349
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.24
Rare Last name
Cavallaro
An Italian occupational surname referring to a horseman, cavalryman, or knight.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,684 Americans carry the last name Cavallaro. That puts it at #9,657 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 93,039 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cavallaro 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
3.7K
1 in 93,039
Census rank
#9,657
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,213 bearers of the surname Cavallaro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9657th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cavallaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cavallaro
The surname Cavallaro originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "cavallo," meaning horse. This surname likely originated as a nickname or occupational name for someone who worked with horses, such as a groom, stable hand, or cavalryman.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various Italian records and manuscripts from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable early reference is in the "Codice Diplomatico Barese," a collection of documents from the city of Bari in southern Italy, which mentions a "Nicolaus Cavallarus" in 1272.
The name Cavallaro was particularly prevalent in Sicily and Calabria, where it is believed to have originated. Over time, it also spread to other regions of Italy, such as Campania and Lazio. The name may have also been associated with certain place names, such as the town of Cavallaro in the province of Reggio Calabria.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Cavallaro was Giovanni Cavallaro, a Sicilian nobleman who lived in the 15th century. Another notable figure was Bartolomeo Cavallaro, a Calabrian poet and writer who lived in the 16th century and authored several works in the Calabrian dialect.
In the 17th century, there was Domenico Cavallaro, a Sicilian painter known for his religious works, who was active in the city of Palermo. In the 19th century, Giuseppe Cavallaro was an Italian mathematician and engineer who made significant contributions to the field of applied mathematics.
In more recent times, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Cavallaro was the Italian actor and comedian Tano Cavallaro (1920-2004), known for his roles in numerous Italian films and television shows.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cavallaro
Among Census respondents with the surname Cavallaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Cavallaro 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 Cavallaro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 2,946
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 144
- Two or more races2.0% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 26
- Black or African American0.7% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cavallaro
Cavallaro 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
#9,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,493
+144 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 343 places
2020
#9,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,213
-280 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 337 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,977 | 3,349 | 1.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,320 | 3,493 | 1.18 | +144 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 343 places |
| 2020 | #9,657 | 3,213 | 1.07 | -280 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 337 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 Cavallaro 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 | #9,320 | #9,657 | -3.6% |
| Count | 3,493 | 3,213 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.18 | 1.07 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cavallaro bearers went from 3,493 to 3,213 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 337 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,320 to #9,657.
FAQ
Cavallaro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cavallaro?
Name Census estimates that about 3,684 living Americans carry the surname Cavallaro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 93,039 residents.
How common is Cavallaro?
Cavallaro ranks #9,657 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.07 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 3,213 people with the surname Cavallaro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,684), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.07 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 Cavallaro.
Has Cavallaro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cavallaro went from 3,493 recorded bearers to 3,213. That is a decrease of 280 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,320 to #9,657.
What does the Census say about the background of Cavallaro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cavallaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Cavallaro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (2,946 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cavallaro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Cavallaro (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 Cavallaro mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a horseman, cavalryman, or knight. 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 Cavallaro (1.07 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 Cavallaro?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Cavallaro on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.