2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Guanciale
An Italian surname referring to a type of cured pork cheek or bacon.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Guanciale. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guanciale 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Guanciale in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guanciale, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.0%) and Black (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guanciale
The surname "GUANCIALE" originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "guanciale," which means "cheek" or "pork cheek." This suggests that the name may have been associated with a person who made or sold cured pork cheeks, which are a popular ingredient in Italian cuisine.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname GUANCIALE can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Lazio, and Campania. In some historical records, the name appears with slight variations in spelling, such as "Guanciale," "Guanciali," or "Guanciale."
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname GUANCIALE was Pietro Guanciale, a merchant from Florence who lived in the late 13th century. Records indicate that he was involved in the trade of cured meats and other provisions.
In the 14th century, a family by the name of GUANCIALE resided in the town of Viterbo, located in the Lazio region. They were known for their expertise in the preparation of guanciale, a type of cured pork cheek that is a key ingredient in many traditional Roman dishes, such as carbonara.
During the Renaissance period, the GUANCIALE surname gained prominence in the city of Naples. Andrea Guanciale, a renowned painter born in 1492, was commissioned to create numerous works for churches and noble families in the region.
In the 18th century, Giuseppe Guanciale, a scholar and writer from the town of Gaeta, published several treatises on the history and culture of the Lazio region. His works are still cited by researchers and historians today.
Another notable figure bearing the GUANCIALE surname was Antonio Guanciale, a military leader who fought in the Italian Unification Wars of the 19th century. He was born in 1825 in the town of Sessa Aurunca and played a crucial role in the liberation of Naples from the Bourbon rule.
Over the centuries, the GUANCIALE surname has been associated with various professions, including butchers, chefs, artisans, and scholars, reflecting the diverse occupations and backgrounds of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guanciale
Among Census respondents with the surname Guanciale, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.0%) and Black (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Guanciale 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 Guanciale surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 88
- Two or more races8.0% · 8
- Black or African American3.0% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guanciale
Guanciale 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
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-4 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 362 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 362 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 Guanciale 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 | #156,044 | #155,682 | 0.2% |
| Count | 104 | 100 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guanciale bearers went from 104 to 100 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 362 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #155,682.
FAQ
Guanciale surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guanciale?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Guanciale. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Guanciale?
Guanciale ranks #155,682 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 100 people with the surname Guanciale. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), 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 Guanciale.
Has Guanciale become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guanciale went from 104 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Guanciale?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guanciale, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.0%) and Black (3.0%). 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 Guanciale in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guanciale appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Two or More Races (8.0%), Black (3.0%). 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 Guanciale (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 Guanciale mean?
An Italian surname referring to a type of cured pork cheek or bacon. 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 Guanciale (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 Guanciale?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Guanciale on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.