2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Margherita
A feminine surname originating from the Italian word for "pearl".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Margherita. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Margherita 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Margherita in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Margherita, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Margherita
The surname Margherita is of Italian origin, derived from the feminine given name Margherita, which is the Italian form of the Greek name Margarita, meaning "pearl". This name has been present in various parts of Italy for centuries.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Margherita can be traced back to the 13th century in regions such as Tuscany and Umbria. In medieval Italian records, variations like Margherita, Margarita, and Margheritini were common spellings of the surname.
One notable historical reference to the surname Margherita is found in the 14th-century Florentine tax records, where several families with this surname were listed as residents of the city. Additionally, the surname appears in various medieval charters and legal documents from various Italian cities.
In the 15th century, the surname gained prominence with the birth of Pietro Margherita (1448-1520), an Italian Renaissance painter and architect from Arezzo, Tuscany. He was renowned for his frescoes and architectural designs, including the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Arezzo.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Giovanni Margherita (1598-1659), an Italian mathematician and astronomer from Naples. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and was a member of the prestigious Accademia dei Lincei.
In the 18th century, Margherita Arconati Visconti (1736-1820) was a prominent figure in Italian society. She was a noblewoman and philanthropist who established several charitable institutions in Milan and was known for her support of the arts and sciences.
The surname Margherita also has connections to place names in Italy. For instance, the town of Margherita di Savoia in the province of Bari, Apulia, derives its name from Queen Margherita of Savoy, who reigned from 1878 to 1900.
Throughout history, the surname Margherita has been associated with various notable individuals, including artists, scholars, and members of the nobility, reflecting its deep roots in Italian culture and heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Margherita
Among Census respondents with the surname Margherita, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Margherita 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 Margherita surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 105
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Margherita
Margherita 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+13 bearers (+11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,920 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-16 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,583 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+11.5%) | Up 2,920 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 15,583 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 Margherita 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 | #133,863 | #149,446 | -11.6% |
| Count | 126 | 110 | -12.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Margherita bearers went from 126 to 110 (-12.7% change). The surname moved down 15,583 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #149,446.
FAQ
Margherita surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Margherita?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Margherita. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Margherita?
Margherita ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Margherita. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Margherita.
Has Margherita become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Margherita went from 126 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 16 (-12.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Margherita?
Among Census respondents with the surname Margherita, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Margherita in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Margherita appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Margherita (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 Margherita mean?
A feminine surname originating from the Italian word for "pearl". 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 Margherita (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 have the surname Margherita?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.