2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Guardiani
Derived from the Italian word "guardiano," meaning watchman or guardian.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Guardiani. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guardiani 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Guardiani in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guardiani, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guardiani
The surname Guardiani is of Italian origin, derived from the word "guardiano," meaning "guardian" or "keeper." It is believed to have emerged in the Middle Ages, possibly as a descriptive name for someone who held a position as a guard or watchman.
The earliest known records of the name Guardiani can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Italy, such as Tuscany, Lombardy, and Emilia-Romagna. In these areas, the name may have been associated with individuals who served as guardians of castles, monasteries, or other important establishments.
One notable early mention of the name Guardiani is found in the "Codice Diplomatico Longobardo," a collection of Lombard diplomatic documents dating back to the 8th century. This reference suggests that the name may have had roots even earlier than the 13th century.
In the 14th century, historical records mention a Giovanni Guardiani, a prominent merchant and banker from Florence, who played a significant role in the city's economic and political affairs during that time.
Another individual of note was Francesco Guardiani, a renowned architect and sculptor from the Renaissance period, born in Modena in 1495 and active until his death in 1568. He is best known for his work on the Ducal Palace in Mantua and the Church of San Pietro in Modena.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Guardiani family gained prominence in various parts of Italy, particularly in the regions of Veneto and Emilia-Romagna. Many members of the family held important positions in the clergy, government, and military.
One notable figure was Cardinal Giacomo Guardiani, born in Ravenna in 1572, who served as a diplomat for the Holy See and was involved in important negotiations during the Thirty Years' War.
In the 18th century, the Guardiani surname was also found in the southern regions of Italy, such as Campania and Calabria. Among the notable individuals from this period was Michelangelo Guardiani, a renowned painter and sculptor from Naples, active between 1720 and 1780.
Throughout history, the Guardiani name has been associated with various professions and roles, reflecting its origins as a descriptor for those who guarded or protected. While the surname is primarily Italian, it has also spread to other countries through migration and intermarriage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guardiani
Among Census respondents with the surname Guardiani, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Guardiani 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 Guardiani surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guardiani
Guardiani 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-20 bearers (-15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 27,423 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+4 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,578 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-15.6%) | Down 27,423 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.7%) | Up 3,578 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 Guardiani 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 | #151,532 | #147,954 | 2.4% |
| Count | 108 | 112 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guardiani bearers went from 108 to 112 (+3.7% change). The surname moved up 3,578 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #147,954.
FAQ
Guardiani surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guardiani?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Guardiani. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Guardiani?
Guardiani ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 112 people with the surname Guardiani. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Guardiani.
Has Guardiani become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guardiani went from 108 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 4 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Guardiani?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guardiani, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) 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 Guardiani in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guardiani appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (3.6%), 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 Guardiani (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 Guardiani mean?
Derived from the Italian word "guardiano," meaning watchman or guardian. 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 Guardiani (0.04 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 Guardiani?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.