2000
#10,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,890
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Maniscalco
An occupational surname referring to a farrier or a person who shoes horses.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,064 Americans carry the last name Maniscalco. That puts it at #11,300 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,865 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maniscalco 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
3.1K
1 in 111,865
Census rank
#11,300
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,672 bearers of the surname Maniscalco in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11300th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maniscalco, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maniscalco
The surname Maniscalco is of Italian origin, derived from the medieval Italian word "maniscalco" which means "blacksmith" or "horse-shoer." The name first emerged in the southern regions of Italy, particularly in Sicily and Campania, during the Middle Ages.
The term "maniscalco" is believed to have its roots in the Latin word "manusferrea," meaning "iron hand," which referred to the blacksmith's craft. It later evolved into the Italian word "maniscalco," reflecting the importance of blacksmiths and horse-shoers in medieval society.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Maniscalco can be found in a document from the 13th century, where a certain Giovanni Maniscalco was mentioned as a resident of Palermo, Sicily. Another notable reference is in the Codice Diplomatico Barese, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bari, which mentions a Nicola Maniscalco in the 14th century.
During the Renaissance period, the Maniscalco family gained prominence in various Italian cities. In the 15th century, Tommaso Maniscalco, a renowned painter and sculptor from Messina, Sicily, created several works of art that are still admired today. Another notable figure was Girolamo Maniscalco, a 16th-century scholar and theologian from Naples, who authored several religious treatises.
In the 18th century, Francesco Maniscalco, a celebrated composer and musician from Palermo, made significant contributions to the development of Sicilian folk music. His compositions and performances were highly regarded throughout Italy.
Moving into the 19th century, Vincenzo Maniscalco, born in 1826 in Catania, Sicily, was a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Italian Parliament. He was known for his advocacy of legal reforms and social justice.
Throughout history, the Maniscalco surname has been associated with various place names in Italy, such as Maniscalchi (in Puglia), Maniscalco (in Sicily), and Maniscalchi (in Campania). These place names reflect the geographical distribution of the surname and its variations across different regions.
While the surname Maniscalco has maintained its Italian roots, it has also spread to other parts of the world through immigration, particularly to the United States and other countries with significant Italian-American communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maniscalco
Among Census respondents with the surname Maniscalco, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Maniscalco 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 Maniscalco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 2,444
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 134
- Two or more races2.5% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maniscalco
Maniscalco 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
#10,601
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,021
+131 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 367 places
2020
#11,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,672
-349 bearers (-11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 699 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,234 | 2,890 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,601 | 3,021 | 1.02 | +131 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 367 places |
| 2020 | #11,300 | 2,672 | 0.89 | -349 bearers (-11.6%) | Down 699 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 Maniscalco 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 | #10,601 | #11,300 | -6.6% |
| Count | 3,021 | 2,672 | -11.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 0.89 | -12.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maniscalco bearers went from 3,021 to 2,672 (-11.6% change). The surname moved down 699 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,601 to #11,300.
FAQ
Maniscalco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maniscalco?
Name Census estimates that about 3,064 living Americans carry the surname Maniscalco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,865 residents.
How common is Maniscalco?
Maniscalco ranks #11,300 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 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 2,672 people with the surname Maniscalco. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,064), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 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 Maniscalco.
Has Maniscalco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maniscalco went from 3,021 recorded bearers to 2,672. That is a decrease of 349 (-11.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,601 to #11,300.
What does the Census say about the background of Maniscalco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maniscalco, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Maniscalco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (2,444 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maniscalco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (5.0%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Maniscalco (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 Maniscalco mean?
An occupational surname referring to a farrier or a person who shoes horses. 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 Maniscalco (0.89 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 Maniscalco?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.