2000
#11,621
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,478
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Galasso
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold a type of biscuit or cake.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,595 Americans carry the last name Galasso. That puts it at #12,976 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 132,083 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Galasso 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 Galasso with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 132,083
Census rank
#12,976
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,263 bearers of the surname Galasso in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12976th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Galasso, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Galasso
The surname Galasso originated in Italy, specifically in the regions of Campania, Calabria, and Sicily. It is believed to have derived from the Greek word "galaktos," which means "milk" or "milky." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone with a fair complexion or light hair color.
In ancient times, the name Galasso was likely associated with the Greek colonies that existed in southern Italy. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval documents from the 11th and 12th centuries in the regions of Campania and Calabria.
One notable historical figure with the surname Galasso was Antonio Galasso, a 16th-century Italian poet and philosopher from Naples (born around 1510). His works explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition.
Another prominent individual was Gabriele Galasso, an Italian historian and academic who lived from 1929 to 2020. He specialized in the study of modern Italian history and published numerous books and articles on the subject.
In the 14th century, a noble family known as the Galasso di Messina resided in the city of Messina, Sicily. They were influential landowners and played a significant role in the city's political affairs during that time period.
The name Galasso can also be traced back to the town of Galasso, a small village in the province of Avellino, Campania. This place name likely derived from the surname itself, indicating that a family with the name Galasso may have established a settlement there.
Throughout history, variations of the spelling have included Galassi, Galaszo, and Galasso di Napoli, reflecting the regional dialects and influences of different Italian regions where the name was present.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Galasso
Among Census respondents with the surname Galasso, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Galasso 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 Galasso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 2,064
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 104
- Two or more races2.7% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 22
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Galasso
Galasso 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
#12,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,524
+46 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 699 places
2020
#12,976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,263
-261 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 656 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,621 | 2,478 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,320 | 2,524 | 0.86 | +46 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 699 places |
| 2020 | #12,976 | 2,263 | 0.76 | -261 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 656 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 Galasso 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 | #12,320 | #12,976 | -5.3% |
| Count | 2,524 | 2,263 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.76 | -12.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Galasso bearers went from 2,524 to 2,263 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 656 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,320 to #12,976.
FAQ
Galasso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Galasso?
Name Census estimates that about 2,595 living Americans carry the surname Galasso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 132,083 residents.
How common is Galasso?
Galasso ranks #12,976 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,263 people with the surname Galasso. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,595), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Galasso.
Has Galasso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Galasso went from 2,524 recorded bearers to 2,263. That is a decrease of 261 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,320 to #12,976.
What does the Census say about the background of Galasso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Galasso, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Galasso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (2,064 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Galasso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Galasso (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 Galasso mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold a type of biscuit or cake. 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 Galasso (0.76 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 Galasso?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.