2000
#6,952
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,449
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.65
Rare Last name
Falco
An Italian occupational surname referring to a falcon trainer or a person who hunts with falcons.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,931 Americans carry the last name Falco. That puts it at #7,473 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,510 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Falco 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 Falco with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 69,510
Census rank
#7,473
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,300 bearers of the surname Falco in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7473rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Falco, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.2%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Falco
The surname Falco originated in Italy, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "falco," meaning falcon, which was likely a nickname given to someone who possessed characteristics associated with the bird, such as keen eyesight or a fierce demeanor.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various Italian documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. For example, a certain Manfredi Falco was mentioned in a legal document from Siena in 1289, while a Guglielmo Falco appears in records from Florence in 1327.
In the 15th century, the name gained prominence with the rise of the Falco family in Genoa, a powerful mercantile dynasty that played a significant role in the city's political and economic affairs. Notable members include Battista Falco (1458-1531), a wealthy banker and patron of the arts, and Giacomo Falco (1493-1568), a renowned jurist and legal scholar.
The Falco name also has ties to the island of Sicily, where it can be traced back to the town of Monreale, near Palermo. Historical records mention a Niccolò Falco, a landowner and nobleman from Monreale, who lived in the late 16th century.
In the realm of literature, the name Falco is immortalized in the works of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321). In his epic poem "The Divine Comedy," Dante mentions a character named Calcabrina, who is described as a "falco" (falcon) among the demons in Hell.
Another notable figure bearing the Falco surname is Giovanni Falco (1594-1665), an Italian painter and engraver from the Baroque era, known for his religious works and portraits.
Throughout history, the Falco name has also been associated with various place names in Italy, such as Falcone, a town in the province of Messina, Sicily, and Falconara, a municipality in the Marche region.
Overall, the Falco surname has a rich and diverse history, spanning several centuries and regions of Italy, with connections to nobility, commerce, literature, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Falco
Among Census respondents with the surname Falco, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.2%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Falco 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 Falco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.8% · 3,777
- Hispanic or Latino8.2% · 353
- Two or more races2.0% · 87
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 43
- Black or African American0.8% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Falco
Falco 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
#7,126
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,695
+246 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Down 174 places
2020
#7,473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,300
-395 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Down 347 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,952 | 4,449 | 1.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,126 | 4,695 | 1.59 | +246 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 174 places |
| 2020 | #7,473 | 4,300 | 1.44 | -395 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 347 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 Falco 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 | #7,126 | #7,473 | -4.9% |
| Count | 4,695 | 4,300 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.59 | 1.44 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Falco bearers went from 4,695 to 4,300 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 347 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,126 to #7,473.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Falco
FAQ
Falco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Falco?
Name Census estimates that about 4,931 living Americans carry the surname Falco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,510 residents.
How common is Falco?
Falco ranks #7,473 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.44 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 4,300 people with the surname Falco. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,931), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.44 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 Falco.
Has Falco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Falco went from 4,695 recorded bearers to 4,300. That is a decrease of 395 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,126 to #7,473.
What does the Census say about the background of Falco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Falco, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.2%) 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 Falco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.8% (3,777 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Falco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.8%), Hispanic (8.2%), 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 Falco (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 Falco mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a falcon trainer or a person who hunts with falcons. 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 Falco (1.44 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 Falco?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Falco on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.