2000
#9,614
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Drago
Derived from the Italian word for "dragon," likely referring to a person with a fierce or strong character.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,295 Americans carry the last name Drago. That puts it at #10,631 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,023 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Drago 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
3.3K
1 in 104,023
Census rank
#10,631
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,873 bearers of the surname Drago in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10631st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Drago, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Drago
The surname Drago is of Italian origin, derived from the Latin word "draco," meaning "dragon." Its earliest known use can be traced back to the 12th century in the regions of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, where it was likely adopted as a nickname or a descriptive term for someone with a fierce or dragon-like persona.
In medieval times, surnames often emerged from occupations, physical characteristics, or places of origin. The name Drago may have been associated with individuals who exhibited qualities likened to a dragon, such as strength, courage, or fierceness in battle. Alternatively, it could have been related to a place or town with a dragon-inspired name or symbol.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Drago can be found in the Florentine archives from the late 13th century, where a certain Ser Drago di Bencivenni is mentioned as a notary and legal representative. Another notable early bearer of the name was Jacopo Drago, a 14th-century Venetian merchant and explorer who reportedly ventured as far as the Canary Islands.
In the 15th century, the Drago family established a prominent presence in the city of Genoa, where they were involved in maritime trade and naval affairs. One of the most illustrious members of this lineage was Giovanni Andrea Doria Drago (1540-1624), a renowned Genoese admiral and statesman who served as the commander-in-chief of the Papal naval forces.
During the Renaissance period, the Drago surname also gained recognition in the arts and literature. Pietro Drago (1520-1592), an Italian poet and humanist from Naples, was celebrated for his Latin verse and philosophical works. Another notable figure was Giovanni Battista Drago (1627-1701), a Sicilian painter and architect who left a lasting legacy in the baroque architectural heritage of his native island.
As the Drago family spread across Italy and beyond, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Drago, Draghi, and Dragone. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and linguistic adaptations. One prominent bearer of the Draghi variant was Mario Draghi (born 1947), an Italian economist and former President of the European Central Bank.
While the surname Drago has its roots in Italy, it has since been adopted by families in other parts of the world, particularly in regions with strong Italian immigration, such as the Americas and Australia. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval era in Italy, where it stood as a symbol of strength, courage, and perhaps even a mythical association with dragons.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Drago
Among Census respondents with the surname Drago, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Drago 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 Drago surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.3% · 2,479
- Hispanic or Latino8.8% · 253
- Two or more races2.6% · 75
- Black or African American1.4% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Drago
Drago 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
#9,875
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,275
+172 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 261 places
2020
#10,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,873
-402 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 756 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,614 | 3,103 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,875 | 3,275 | 1.11 | +172 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 261 places |
| 2020 | #10,631 | 2,873 | 0.96 | -402 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 756 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 Drago 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 | #9,875 | #10,631 | -7.7% |
| Count | 3,275 | 2,873 | -12.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.11 | 0.96 | -13.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Drago bearers went from 3,275 to 2,873 (-12.3% change). The surname moved down 756 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,875 to #10,631.
FAQ
Drago surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Drago?
Name Census estimates that about 3,295 living Americans carry the surname Drago. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,023 residents.
How common is Drago?
Drago ranks #10,631 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,873 people with the surname Drago. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,295), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Drago.
Has Drago become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Drago went from 3,275 recorded bearers to 2,873. That is a decrease of 402 (-12.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,875 to #10,631.
What does the Census say about the background of Drago?
Among Census respondents with the surname Drago, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Drago in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.3% (2,479 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Drago appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.3%), Hispanic (8.8%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Drago (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 Drago mean?
Derived from the Italian word for "dragon," likely referring to a person with a fierce or strong character. 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 Drago (0.96 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 are called Drago?
See how many people have the surname Drago on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.