2000
#6,513
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,807
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.78
Rare Last name
Giraldo
A Spanish surname derived from the Germanic name Gerald, meaning "rule of the spear."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,850 Americans carry the last name Giraldo. That puts it at #4,970 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,663 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Giraldo 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 Giraldo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.8K
1 in 43,663
Census rank
#4,970
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,846 bearers of the surname Giraldo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4970th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Giraldo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and Two or More Races (0.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Giraldo
The surname Giraldo originated in Italy, specifically in the northern regions such as Piedmont and Lombardy. It is believed to have derived from the Germanic personal name Gerhard, which means "brave with the spear." This name was commonly used during the Middle Ages in Europe, and it likely underwent various linguistic transformations over the centuries, resulting in the Italian form Giraldo.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Giraldo can be found in historical documents from the 12th century. For example, a certain Giraldo de Novara was mentioned in a manuscript dated 1187, which detailed the activities of the Lombard League against the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. This suggests that the surname was already in use among noble families in northern Italy during that period.
In the 13th century, the name Giraldo appeared in the records of the Republic of Venice. A notable figure was Giraldo Michiel, a Venetian diplomat and statesman who served as the ambassador to the Byzantine Empire in the mid-1200s. He played a crucial role in negotiating trade agreements between Venice and the Eastern Mediterranean regions.
The 14th century saw the rise of the powerful Giraldo family in the city of Genoa. This family produced several influential merchants and bankers who contributed significantly to the economic prosperity of the Genoese Republic. One of the most prominent members was Antonio Giraldo (1320-1392), a successful banker and financier who established trade connections with the Iberian Peninsula and the Levant.
In the 15th century, a Florentine humanist scholar named Giraldo Giraldi (1443-1504) gained recognition for his writings on classical literature and mythology. His works, such as the "Historiae Poetarum Graecorum et Romanorum" (Histories of Greek and Roman Poets), were widely read and influential during the Renaissance period.
During the 16th century, the name Giraldo was also present in the Kingdom of Naples. One notable figure was Giraldo Caracciolo (1518-1586), a nobleman and military leader who served as the viceroy of Sicily from 1580 to 1586. He played a significant role in defending the island against Ottoman naval attacks.
These examples demonstrate the historical presence and significance of the surname Giraldo across various regions of Italy, from the northern cities to the southern kingdoms. The name has been associated with notable individuals from different walks of life, including diplomats, bankers, scholars, and military leaders, reflecting its enduring presence throughout Italian history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Giraldo
Among Census respondents with the surname Giraldo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and Two or More Races (0.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Giraldo 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 Giraldo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.4% · 6,397
- White5.7% · 393
- Two or more races0.2% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 15
- Black or African American0.2% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Giraldo
Giraldo 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
#5,367
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,489
+1,682 bearers (+35.0%)
Per 100,000 2.20
Rank movement Up 1,146 places
2020
#4,970
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,846
+357 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 2.29
Rank movement Up 397 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,513 | 4,807 | 1.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,367 | 6,489 | 2.20 | +1,682 bearers (+35.0%) | Up 1,146 places |
| 2020 | #4,970 | 6,846 | 2.29 | +357 bearers (+5.5%) | Up 397 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 Giraldo 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 | #5,367 | #4,970 | 7.4% |
| Count | 6,489 | 6,846 | 5.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.20 | 2.29 | 4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Giraldo bearers went from 6,489 to 6,846 (+5.5% change). The surname moved up 397 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,367 to #4,970.
FAQ
Giraldo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Giraldo?
Name Census estimates that about 7,850 living Americans carry the surname Giraldo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,663 residents.
How common is Giraldo?
Giraldo ranks #4,970 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,846 people with the surname Giraldo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,850), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Giraldo.
Has Giraldo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Giraldo went from 6,489 recorded bearers to 6,846. That is an increase of 357 (+5.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,367 to #4,970.
What does the Census say about the background of Giraldo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Giraldo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and Two or More Races (0.2%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Giraldo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (6,397 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Giraldo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.4%), White (5.7%), Two or More Races (0.2%). 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 Giraldo (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 Giraldo mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Germanic name Gerald, meaning "rule of the spear." 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 Giraldo (2.29 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 Giraldo?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.