2000
#132,259
National surname rank
First available Census row
A surname derived from the Italian word for "harness maker" or "saddle maker".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Guarniere. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guarniere 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Guarniere in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guarniere, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
The surname Guarniere originates from Italy, specifically from the regions of Lombardy and Veneto. It is derived from the Italian word "guarnire," which means "to adorn" or "to decorate." The name likely referred to someone who worked as a decorator or embellisher, perhaps adorning clothing, furniture, or other items with decorative elements.
The earliest known record of the surname Guarniere can be traced back to the 13th century in the city of Milan. In a document from 1278, a certain "Guarniero da Monza" is mentioned, which suggests the name was already established in that region.
During the Renaissance period, the Guarniere family gained prominence in the city of Venice. One notable member was Giovanni Guarniere (1460-1530), a skilled goldsmith and jeweler who crafted intricate pieces for wealthy patrons.
In the 17th century, the name appears in the records of the Venetian Republic, where several Guarniere families held positions of influence. One such individual was Paolo Guarniere (1612-1678), a respected lawyer and magistrate.
As the centuries progressed, the Guarniere surname spread to other parts of Italy and beyond. In the 19th century, Giuseppe Guarniere (1801-1875) was a renowned Italian composer and music teacher based in Naples.
Another notable figure was Antonio Guarniere (1880-1952), an Italian-American artist known for his vivid landscape paintings depicting scenes from his native Sicily and his adopted home of California.
Outside of Italy, the name Guarniere can be found in places with significant Italian immigrant communities, such as Argentina and the United States. One notable example is Mario Guarniere (1918-2005), an Italian-American boxing champion who won the welterweight title in the 1940s.
While the surname Guarniere is not among the most common Italian surnames, it has a rich history and a connection to the arts, crafts, and skilled trades that were so integral to the cultural fabric of Renaissance Italy and beyond.
Demographics
Among Census respondents with the surname Guarniere, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Guarniere 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 Guarniere surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
Timeline
Guarniere 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.
2000
National surname rank
First available Census row
2010
National surname rank
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
2020
National surname rank
-5 bearers (-4.3%)
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 10,890 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 5,516 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
How has the Guarniere surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #143,149 | #148,665 | -3.9% |
| Count | 116 | 111 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guarniere bearers went from 116 to 111 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 5,516 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #148,665.
FAQ
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Guarniere. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
Guarniere ranks #148,665 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.
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Guarniere. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
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 Guarniere.
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guarniere went from 116 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #148,665.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guarniere, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Black (0.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Guarniere in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (106 people in the source table).
Guarniere appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Two or More Races (1.8%), Black (0.9%). 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.
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 Guarniere (2000, 2010, 2020).
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.
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.
A surname derived from the Italian word for "harness maker" or "saddle maker". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
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.
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 Guarniere (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.
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.