2000
#12,202
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,341
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Lago
An Italian toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a lake or by a waterside.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,029 Americans carry the last name Lago. That puts it at #11,408 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,158 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lago 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lago with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 113,158
Census rank
#11,408
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,641 bearers of the surname Lago in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11408th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lago, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 52.9%. The next largest groups are White (38.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lago
The surname Lago originated in Italy, specifically in the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto. It is derived from the Italian word "lago," meaning "lake," which suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived near a lake or body of water.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various Italian historical documents and records. One notable example is the appearance of the name in the "Libro d'Oro" (Book of Gold) of the Republic of Venice, which documented noble families and prominent citizens.
In the 14th century, there are records of individuals with the surname Lago in the city of Milan. One such example is Giacomo Lago, a merchant who lived from around 1320 to 1390. He was a prominent figure in the trade guilds and played a role in the city's economic affairs.
During the Renaissance period, the name Lago appeared in several literary works and documents. One notable individual was Giovanni Battista Lago, a humanist scholar and philosopher who lived from 1468 to 1549. He was highly regarded for his contributions to the study of classical literature and philosophy.
In the 16th century, the Lago family established itself as a prominent noble family in the city of Verona. One of the most renowned members was Girolamo Lago, a military commander and statesman who lived from 1522 to 1591. He served under the Republic of Venice and played a crucial role in various military campaigns and diplomatic missions.
Another notable figure was Benedetto Lago, a Venetian painter who lived from 1555 to 1624. He was renowned for his religious paintings and frescoes, many of which can still be found in churches and palaces throughout Italy.
As the centuries progressed, the Lago surname spread to other parts of Italy and even beyond its borders. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name in other countries include Juan Lago, a Spanish explorer who participated in the conquest of the Americas in the 16th century, and Jacques Lago, a French nobleman who served in the court of King Louis XIV in the 17th century.
While the surname Lago is most commonly associated with its Italian origins, it has also been adopted by families in other parts of the world, such as Spain, Portugal, and Latin America, often as a result of migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lago
Among Census respondents with the surname Lago, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 52.9%. The next largest groups are White (38.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lago 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 Lago surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino52.9% · 1,398
- White38.2% · 1,008
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.7% · 125
- Black or African American2.8% · 74
- Two or more races1.3% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lago
Lago 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
#11,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,754
+413 bearers (+17.6%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Up 766 places
2020
#11,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,641
-113 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Up 28 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,202 | 2,341 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,436 | 2,754 | 0.93 | +413 bearers (+17.6%) | Up 766 places |
| 2020 | #11,408 | 2,641 | 0.88 | -113 bearers (-4.1%) | Up 28 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 Lago 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 | #11,436 | #11,408 | 0.2% |
| Count | 2,754 | 2,641 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.88 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lago bearers went from 2,754 to 2,641 (-4.1% change). The surname moved up 28 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,436 to #11,408.
FAQ
Lago surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lago?
Name Census estimates that about 3,029 living Americans carry the surname Lago. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,158 residents.
How common is Lago?
Lago ranks #11,408 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,641 people with the surname Lago. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,029), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Lago.
Has Lago become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lago went from 2,754 recorded bearers to 2,641. That is a decrease of 113 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,436 to #11,408.
What does the Census say about the background of Lago?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lago, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 52.9%. The next largest groups are White (38.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lago in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.9% (1,398 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lago appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (52.9%), White (38.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%). 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 Lago (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 Lago mean?
An Italian toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a lake or by a waterside. 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 Lago (0.88 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 Lago?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Lago at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.