2000
#11,677
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,462
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Manalo
A Filipino surname derived from the Spanish word "manalo," meaning "to win" or "to be victorious."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,119 Americans carry the last name Manalo. That puts it at #8,762 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,213 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Manalo 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 Manalo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 83,213
Census rank
#8,762
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,592 bearers of the surname Manalo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8762nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Manalo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Manalo
The surname Manalo originates from the Philippines, tracing its roots back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Tagalog word "manalo," which means "to win" or "to triumph." This suggests that the name may have initially been bestowed upon individuals who achieved notable victories or successes in their respective fields or communities.
During the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines, it was common practice for Spanish officials and missionaries to assign surnames to the native population, often based on personal characteristics, occupations, or geographic locations. The surname Manalo may have been one such name assigned to individuals who demonstrated exceptional skills or triumphs.
Historical records indicate that the Manalo surname appeared in various documents and manuscripts from the 17th and 18th centuries. One notable example is the Catalogo Alfabetico de Apellidos, a document compiled by Spanish authorities in the late 18th century to record surnames assigned to the Filipino population.
The earliest recorded instances of the Manalo surname can be traced back to the late 16th and early 17th centuries. One of the earliest known individuals bearing this name was Juan Manalo, a prominent landowner and community leader who lived in the province of Bulacan during the 17th century.
Another notable figure was Mariano Manalo, a revolutionary leader who fought against the Spanish colonial rule in the late 19th century. He was born in 1867 and played a significant role in the Philippine Revolution, leading local forces in the province of Cavite.
In the realm of arts and culture, the Manalo surname is associated with the acclaimed Filipino writer and playwright Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Manalo, who lived from 1928 to 2017. His works, including plays and short stories, explored various aspects of Philippine society and culture.
The Manalo name is also connected to the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ), a religious movement founded in the Philippines in the early 20th century. Felix Ysagun Manalo, born in 1886, was the founder and first Executive Minister of this Christian religious organization, which has since gained a significant following both in the Philippines and internationally.
Throughout its history, the Manalo surname has been carried by numerous individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields, including politics, arts, religion, and community development in the Philippines.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Manalo
Among Census respondents with the surname Manalo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Manalo 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 Manalo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander86.6% · 3,110
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 181
- Two or more races5.0% · 178
- White3.2% · 115
- Black or African American0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Manalo
Manalo 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
#9,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,571
+1,109 bearers (+45.0%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Up 2,538 places
2020
#8,762
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,592
+21 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Up 377 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,677 | 2,462 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,139 | 3,571 | 1.21 | +1,109 bearers (+45.0%) | Up 2,538 places |
| 2020 | #8,762 | 3,592 | 1.20 | +21 bearers (+0.6%) | Up 377 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 Manalo 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 | #9,139 | #8,762 | 4.1% |
| Count | 3,571 | 3,592 | 0.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.21 | 1.20 | -0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Manalo bearers went from 3,571 to 3,592 (+0.6% change). The surname moved up 377 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,139 to #8,762.
FAQ
Manalo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Manalo?
Name Census estimates that about 4,119 living Americans carry the surname Manalo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,213 residents.
How common is Manalo?
Manalo ranks #8,762 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 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 3,592 people with the surname Manalo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 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 Manalo.
Has Manalo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Manalo went from 3,571 recorded bearers to 3,592. That is an increase of 21 (+0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,139 to #8,762.
What does the Census say about the background of Manalo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Manalo, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Manalo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (3,110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Manalo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (86.6%), Hispanic (5.0%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Manalo (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 Manalo mean?
A Filipino surname derived from the Spanish word "manalo," meaning "to win" or "to be victorious." 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 Manalo (1.20 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 Americans have the surname Manalo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.