2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Faletto
A topographic surname derived from faletto, meaning a rocky outcrop or hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Faletto. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Faletto 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Faletto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Faletto, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Faletto
The surname Faletto originated in the northern Italian region of Piedmont, likely during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Italian word "falletto," which means "little falcon." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname referring to someone with falcon-like characteristics or someone who worked as a falconer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Faletto name can be found in the Liber Feudorum, a 12th-century document that recorded feudal holdings in the region. It mentions a family with the name Faletto holding lands near the town of Asti.
In the 14th century, records show a prominent Faletto family living in the town of Mondovì, also in Piedmont. This family played a significant role in the local politics and administration of the region during that time.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure bearing the Faletto surname was Girolamo Faletto (1458-1520), a diplomat and politician who served as the ambassador of the Duchy of Savoy to various European courts.
Another individual of historical importance was Pietro Faletto (1588-1655), a Catholic bishop who served as the Bishop of Vercelli from 1639 until his death.
In the 18th century, the Faletto name was associated with the town of Faletto, located in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont. It is possible that the town's name derived from the surname, or vice versa, as it was common for families to take their names from the places they lived or owned land.
One of the most famous individuals with the Faletto surname was Gian Battista Faletto (1761-1838), an Italian architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Turin, including the Church of San Francesco da Paola and the Palazzo Falletti di Barolo.
Another notable figure was Ercole Faletto (1835-1900), an Italian politician and statesman who served as the Minister of Finance in the Kingdom of Italy during the late 19th century.
While the Faletto surname is primarily associated with the Piedmont region of Italy, it has also been found in other parts of the country, as well as in other European countries, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Faletto
Among Census respondents with the surname Faletto, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Faletto 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 Faletto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Faletto
Faletto 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+12 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,071 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-9 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,316 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 2,071 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 10,316 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 Faletto 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 | #134,712 | #145,028 | -7.7% |
| Count | 125 | 116 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Faletto bearers went from 125 to 116 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 10,316 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #145,028.
FAQ
Faletto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Faletto?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Faletto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Faletto?
Faletto ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 116 people with the surname Faletto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Faletto.
Has Faletto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Faletto went from 125 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Faletto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Faletto, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Faletto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Faletto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Hispanic (1.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Faletto (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 Faletto mean?
A topographic surname derived from faletto, meaning a rocky outcrop or hill. 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 Faletto (0.04 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 have the last name Faletto?
If you just want to know how many people are called Faletto, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.