2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Imbo
An African surname possibly meaning "river" or derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Imbo. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Imbo 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Imbo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Imbo, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (14.6%) and Hispanic (10.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Imbo
The surname Imbo is believed to have originated in Italy during the late Middle Ages, sometime around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to have derived from the Italian word "imbolato," which means "stuffed" or "padded," possibly referring to a person's occupation or physical characteristics.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Imbo can be found in the historical records of the city of Genoa, where a merchant named Giovanni Imbo is mentioned in a trade document dated 1387. In the 15th century, the name appears in the archives of the city of Venice, where a member of the Imbo family served as a diplomat.
The Imbo surname seems to have been concentrated primarily in the northern regions of Italy, particularly in the areas around Genoa, Venice, and Milan. There are also records of the name in the regions of Piedmont and Lombardy, although it appears to have been less common there.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Antonio Imbo (1523-1592) was a renowned painter and sculptor from the city of Genoa. His works can be found in several churches and museums throughout Italy.
During the Renaissance period, the Imbo family gained some prominence in the city of Venice. Girolamo Imbo (1490-1556) was a successful merchant and banker who financed several important trading expeditions to the East.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Imbo family relocated to the island of Sicily, where they became involved in the production of wine and olive oil. One member, Giuseppe Imbo (1624-1697), was a respected viticulturist and is credited with introducing several new grape varieties to the region.
Another notable figure with the Imbo surname was Marcello Imbo (1678-1746), a military officer who served in the Venetian army during the War of the Spanish Succession. He was awarded several honors for his bravery in battle.
Towards the end of the 18th century, a philosopher and writer named Cesare Imbo (1754-1815) gained recognition for his works on ethics and political theory. He was a vocal supporter of the ideals of the French Revolution and advocated for social and political reforms in Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Imbo
Among Census respondents with the surname Imbo, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (14.6%) and Hispanic (10.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Imbo 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 Imbo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.0% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander14.6% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino10.7% · 11
- Black or African American7.8% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Imbo
Imbo 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
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-9 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,929 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 6,929 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 Imbo 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 | #147,253 | #154,182 | -4.7% |
| Count | 112 | 103 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Imbo bearers went from 112 to 103 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 6,929 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #154,182.
FAQ
Imbo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Imbo?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Imbo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Imbo?
Imbo ranks #154,182 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 103 people with the surname Imbo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), 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 Imbo.
Has Imbo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Imbo went from 112 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 9 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Imbo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Imbo, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (14.6%) and Hispanic (10.7%). 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 Imbo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.0% (69 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Imbo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (14.6%), Hispanic (10.7%). 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 Imbo (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 Imbo mean?
An African surname possibly meaning "river" or derived from a place name. 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 Imbo (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 many people are called Imbo?
Find out how many people have the last name Imbo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.