2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Listo
Of Italian origin, a surname meaning 'shrewd' or 'clever'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Listo. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Listo 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Listo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Listo, the largest self-reported group is White at 40.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (28.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (24.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Listo
The surname Listo has its origins in Italy, where it first emerged in the medieval period around the 12th century. It is derived from the Italian word "listo," which means "quick" or "alert." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who was particularly swift or nimble.
In its earliest recorded forms, the surname was sometimes spelled as "Listi" or "Liste." It is believed to have originated in the regions of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, where variations of the name can be found in historical documents from the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest known references to the name Listo comes from a 13th-century manuscript housed in the Archivio di Stato di Firenze (State Archives of Florence). This document mentions a certain "Guido Listo," who was a merchant and landowner in the city of Florence during that time.
Another notable early bearer of the Listo name was Giovanni Listo, a Renaissance-era painter and architect who lived in the 15th century. He was born in Cremona in 1423 and is known for his work on various churches and palaces in northern Italy.
In the 16th century, there was a branch of the Listo family that settled in the town of Piacenza, located in the Emilia-Romagna region. One of their descendants, Francesco Listo (1550-1623), became a prominent lawyer and held several important positions in the local government.
During the 17th century, the Listo name gained some prominence in the field of literature. Antonio Listo (1617-1692) was a Venetian writer and poet who authored several works, including a collection of sonnets titled "Rime Diverse."
Another notable figure was Girolamo Listo (1685-1756), a Neapolitan philosopher and theologian who wrote extensively on topics related to ethics and natural law. He was a professor at the University of Naples and was highly respected in academic circles during his time.
Over the centuries, the Listo surname has spread to other parts of Italy and beyond, with descendants carrying on the name in various walks of life. While it may not be a widely recognized surname, it has a rich historical legacy that dates back to the Middle Ages and reflects the linguistic and cultural heritage of Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Listo
Among Census respondents with the surname Listo, the largest self-reported group is White at 40.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (28.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (24.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Listo 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 Listo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White40.2% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native28.0% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander24.3% · 26
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 7
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Listo
Listo 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,013 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,130 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 13,013 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 2,130 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 Listo 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 | #153,769 | #151,639 | 1.4% |
| Count | 106 | 107 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Listo bearers went from 106 to 107 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 2,130 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #151,639.
FAQ
Listo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Listo?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Listo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Listo?
Listo ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Listo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Listo.
Has Listo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Listo went from 106 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Listo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Listo, the largest self-reported group is White at 40.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (28.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (24.3%). 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 Listo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 40.2% (43 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Listo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (40.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (28.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (24.3%). 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 Listo (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 Listo mean?
Of Italian origin, a surname meaning 'shrewd' or 'clever'. 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 Listo (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 people are called Listo?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Listo at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.