2000
#42,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 485
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Very Rare Last name
Garbo
A surname possibly derived from the Italian word 'garbo' meaning charm or grace.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 573 Americans carry the last name Garbo. That puts it at #45,998 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 598,175 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garbo 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
573
1 in 598,175
Census rank
#45,998
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
500
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 500 bearers of the surname Garbo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 45998th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garbo, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Black (6.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garbo
The surname GARBO is believed to have originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Italian word "garbo," which means grace, elegance, or charm. This name likely referred to someone who exhibited these qualities or had a graceful or charming demeanor.
Some sources suggest that the name GARBO may have originated in the region of Tuscany, where there are several towns and villages with names similar to GARBO, such as Garbognano and Garbogna. These place names could have been the source of the surname for families that lived in or near these locations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname GARBO can be found in the Florentine Codex, a 16th-century manuscript that documented the history and culture of the Aztec people in what is now Mexico. The Codex mentions a Spanish missionary named Fray Juan de Grado, whose surname was sometimes written as GARBO.
In the 17th century, a notable figure with the surname GARBO was Raffaello GARBO, an Italian painter and architect who was active in Rome during the Baroque period. He was born in 1609 and died in 1672.
Another individual of historical significance with the surname GARBO was Gian Battista GARBO, an Italian physician and philosopher who lived in the 15th century. He was born in Ferrara in 1412 and died in 1489.
In the 19th century, a famous actress and dancer named Eva GARBO was born in Sweden in 1851. She was widely known for her performances in various European cities and was considered a leading ballerina of her time. She died in 1919.
One of the most renowned individuals with the surname GARBO was the Swedish-American actress Greta GARBO, born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson in 1905. She was a legendary figure in Hollywood's golden age and starred in numerous classic films, including "Flesh and the Devil," "Anna Christie," and "Grand Hotel." Greta GARBO died in 1990 at the age of 84.
While these are some notable examples of individuals with the surname GARBO throughout history, it is important to note that the name's origins and early usage may have varied across different regions and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garbo
Among Census respondents with the surname Garbo, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Black (6.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Garbo 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 Garbo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.2% · 381
- Hispanic or Latino8.4% · 42
- Black or African American6.4% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.0% · 30
- Two or more races2.8% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garbo
Garbo 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
#43,285
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 499
+14 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 1,151 places
2020
#45,998
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 500
+1 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 2,713 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #42,134 | 485 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #43,285 | 499 | 0.17 | +14 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 1,151 places |
| 2020 | #45,998 | 500 | 0.17 | +1 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 2,713 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 Garbo 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 | #43,285 | #45,998 | -6.3% |
| Count | 499 | 500 | 0.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.17 | -1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garbo bearers went from 499 to 500 (+0.2% change). The surname moved down 2,713 positions in the national ranking, going from #43,285 to #45,998.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Garbo
FAQ
Garbo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garbo?
Name Census estimates that about 573 living Americans carry the surname Garbo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 598,175 residents.
How common is Garbo?
Garbo ranks #45,998 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 500 people with the surname Garbo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (573), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Garbo.
Has Garbo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garbo went from 499 recorded bearers to 500. That is an increase of 1 (+0.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #43,285 to #45,998.
What does the Census say about the background of Garbo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garbo, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Black (6.4%). 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 Garbo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.2% (381 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garbo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.2%), Hispanic (8.4%), Black (6.4%). 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 Garbo (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 Garbo mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Italian word 'garbo' meaning charm or grace. 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 Garbo (0.17 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 Garbo?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Garbo is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.