Find out how popular the last name Karo is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Karo.

Karo, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Karo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Karo in America

Karo is the 52736th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Karo surname appeared 393 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Karo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Karo to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Karo

The surname Karo is believed to have originated from the Basque region of Spain and France, which spans across the western Pyrenees mountains. The name first appeared in records during the 12th century and is thought to be derived from the Basque word "karo," which means "oak tree."

One of the earliest known references to the surname Karo can be found in the 13th-century Cartulary of the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla, located in La Rioja, Spain. This document mentions a person named Sancho Karo, who lived in the village of Ezcaray.

In the 14th century, the Karo surname began to spread beyond the Basque region. Records from this period show individuals with the name Karo living in various parts of Spain, including Castile and Aragon. One notable person from this time was Juan Karo, a merchant from Burgos who was involved in trade with the Netherlands and England.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Karo surname gained prominence in the Basque region and beyond. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Juan de Karo, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés. Another notable figure was Martín de Karo, a Basque sailor and explorer who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his historic voyage around the world.

In the 17th century, the Karo surname started to appear in other parts of Europe as well. Records from this period show individuals with the name Karo living in France, Italy, and even England. One such person was Diego Karo, a Spanish artist who worked in Rome and is known for his religious paintings.

As the centuries passed, the Karo surname continued to spread across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world. Some notable individuals with this name include Jerónimo Karo, a 19th-century Spanish writer and journalist; Enrique Karo, a 20th-century Mexican artist; and Juan Karo, a contemporary Spanish actor.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Karo

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Karo.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Karo was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Karo has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Karo was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Karo, please contact us.

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