2000
#5,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,399
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.00
Rare Last name
Lupo
An Italian occupational surname referring to a wolf hunter or a person who resembles a wolf.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,783 Americans carry the last name Lupo. That puts it at #6,476 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 59,269 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lupo 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
5.8K
1 in 59,269
Census rank
#6,476
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,043 bearers of the surname Lupo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6476th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lupo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lupo
The surname Lupo has its origins in Italy, with roots that can be traced back to the medieval period. The name is derived from the Italian word "lupo," which translates to "wolf." This connection suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon someone who exhibited wolf-like qualities or perhaps lived in an area inhabited by wolves.
The earliest recorded instances of the Lupo surname can be found in various historical documents from the 13th century. In particular, the name appears in the Codice Diplomatico della Lombardia Medievale, a collection of medieval diplomatic records from the Lombardy region of northern Italy.
Interestingly, the Lupo surname also has a link to the prestigious Medici family, rulers of Florence during the Renaissance era. In the 14th century, Andrea di Lupo Giugni was a notable member of this influential clan, serving as the Gonfaloniere di Giustizia (Standard Bearer of Justice) in Florence in 1349.
Another prominent figure bearing the Lupo surname was Vincenzo Lupo, a 17th-century Italian painter and engraver from Naples. Born in 1595, Lupo was renowned for his religious and mythological works, which can be found in various churches and galleries throughout Italy.
During the 15th century, the Lupo surname also gained recognition in the literary world. Giovanni Battista Lupo, born in 1456, was a renowned Italian humanist, scholar, and writer who composed several influential works on rhetoric and philosophy.
In the realm of science, the Lupo name is associated with Vincenzo Lupo, a 19th-century Italian astronomer and mathematician. Born in 1815, Lupo made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and was a respected figure in the scientific community of his time.
While the Lupo surname has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including other European countries and the Americas. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the cultural and intellectual heritage of the Italian peninsula.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lupo
Among Census respondents with the surname Lupo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lupo 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 Lupo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 4,542
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 287
- Two or more races2.9% · 145
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 46
- Black or African American0.3% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lupo
Lupo 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
#6,298
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,425
+26 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.84
Rank movement Down 426 places
2020
#6,476
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,043
-382 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.69
Rank movement Down 178 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,872 | 5,399 | 2.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,298 | 5,425 | 1.84 | +26 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 426 places |
| 2020 | #6,476 | 5,043 | 1.69 | -382 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 178 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 Lupo 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 | #6,298 | #6,476 | -2.8% |
| Count | 5,425 | 5,043 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.84 | 1.69 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lupo bearers went from 5,425 to 5,043 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 178 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,298 to #6,476.
FAQ
Lupo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lupo?
Name Census estimates that about 5,783 living Americans carry the surname Lupo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 59,269 residents.
How common is Lupo?
Lupo ranks #6,476 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,043 people with the surname Lupo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,783), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Lupo.
Has Lupo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lupo went from 5,425 recorded bearers to 5,043. That is a decrease of 382 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,298 to #6,476.
What does the Census say about the background of Lupo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lupo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Lupo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (4,542 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lupo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (5.7%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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.
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 Lupo (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 Lupo mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a wolf hunter or a person who resembles a wolf. 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 Lupo (1.69 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 share the surname Lupo?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.