2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Covolo
A surname derived from the Italian word "covolo" meaning a small gorge or ravine.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Covolo. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Covolo 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Covolo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Covolo, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Covolo
The surname Covolo is of Italian origin, specifically from the Veneto region in northern Italy. It likely emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "covolo," which means a small cave or grotto, suggesting that the original bearers of the name may have lived near or worked in such a location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Covolo can be found in the tax records of the city of Verona in the 14th century. The name appeared as "Covoli," which was a common spelling variation at the time. In the 15th century, the Covolo family played a significant role in the political and economic affairs of the city of Vicenza, with several members holding prominent positions in the local government.
In the 16th century, Giovanni Covolo (1498-1572) was a renowned architect and sculptor from Padua, whose works can be seen in various churches and palaces throughout the Veneto region. Another notable figure was Francesco Covolo (1546-1612), a Venetian painter known for his religious works and frescoes adorning churches in Venice and its surrounding areas.
The surname Covolo can also be traced back to the town of Covolo di Pederobba, located in the province of Treviso. This small town likely took its name from the local terrain, which features numerous caves and grottoes. It is possible that some early bearers of the Covolo surname originated from this area.
In the 18th century, Antonio Covolo (1720-1789) was a prominent lawyer and philosopher from Verona, who wrote extensively on legal theory and natural law. His works influenced the development of legal thought in Italy during the Age of Enlightenment.
Another noteworthy figure was Girolamo Covolo (1792-1868), a Venetian painter and engraver known for his landscapes and vedute (cityscape paintings) depicting scenes of Venice and its surrounding islands.
Throughout its history, the surname Covolo has maintained a strong presence in the Veneto region, particularly in cities like Verona, Vicenza, and Padua, where many families with this last name have contributed to various aspects of local culture, arts, and governance over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Covolo
Among Census respondents with the surname Covolo, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Covolo 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 Covolo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.0% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Covolo
Covolo appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-12 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,069 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 9,069 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 Covolo 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 | #146,201 | #155,270 | -6.2% |
| Count | 113 | 101 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Covolo bearers went from 113 to 101 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 9,069 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #155,270.
FAQ
Covolo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Covolo?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Covolo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Covolo?
Covolo ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Covolo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Covolo.
Has Covolo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Covolo went from 113 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Covolo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Covolo, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Covolo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Covolo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.0%), Hispanic (2.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Covolo (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 Covolo mean?
A surname derived from the Italian word "covolo" meaning a small gorge or ravine. 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 Covolo (0.03 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 Covolo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.