2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Fondale
A surname derived from an Italian place name meaning a deep or low-lying location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Fondale. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fondale 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Fondale in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fondale, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fondale
The surname Fondale has its origins in Italy, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated from the Italian word "fonda," which means "deep hole" or "abyss," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a deep pit or ravine.
The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria, where it is thought to have first emerged. In the medieval period, many surnames were derived from geographical features or occupations, and Fondale is no exception.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a 13th-century manuscript from the city of Perugia, where a certain "Giovanni Fondale" is mentioned as a landowner. This suggests that the name may have been associated with a specific location or estate.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Pietro Fondale (1425-1492) was a respected scholar and professor of law at the University of Bologna. His writings on legal theory and jurisprudence were highly influential during the Renaissance period.
Another noteworthy individual bearing the Fondale surname was Girolamo Fondale (1560-1621), a renowned architect from Florence who designed several churches and palaces in the city, including the Church of San Gaetano and the Palazzo Corsini.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Fondale also appears in various records and documents from the towns of Siena and Arezzo, indicating that the family had spread throughout the region.
In the 18th century, a prominent military figure named Antonio Fondale (1712-1789) achieved fame for his service in the Venetian army, rising to the rank of general and leading several successful campaigns against the Ottomans in the Balkans.
While the surname Fondale is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of Italy's rich cultural heritage, carrying the echoes of its geographical and occupational origins from centuries past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fondale
Among Census respondents with the surname Fondale, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fondale 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 Fondale surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 98
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fondale
Fondale 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
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 3,644 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 3,644 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 Fondale 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 | #157,234 | #153,590 | 2.3% |
| Count | 103 | 104 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fondale bearers went from 103 to 104 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 3,644 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #153,590.
FAQ
Fondale surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fondale?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Fondale. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Fondale?
Fondale ranks #153,590 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 104 people with the surname Fondale. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), 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 Fondale.
Has Fondale become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fondale went from 103 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 1 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Fondale?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fondale, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Fondale in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fondale appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Black (1.9%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Fondale (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 Fondale mean?
A surname derived from an Italian place name meaning a deep or low-lying location. 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 Fondale (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 common is the surname Fondale?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Fondale is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.