2000
#88,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 194
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Meneghini
A locational surname denoting someone from Menaggio, a town in Lombardy, Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 268 Americans carry the last name Meneghini. That puts it at #85,854 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,278,934 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Meneghini 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
268
1 in 1,278,934
Census rank
#85,854
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
234
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 234 bearers of the surname Meneghini in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 85854th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Meneghini, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Meneghini
The surname Meneghini has its origins in Italy, tracing back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Italian word "meneghino," which was a colloquial term used to refer to a person from Milan or the surrounding region of Lombardy.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Meneghini can be found in the historic documents of the city of Bergamo, located in the northern Italian region of Lombardy. In the 14th century, there are records mentioning individuals with the surname Meneghini living in the city's neighborhoods.
During the Renaissance period, the name began to spread beyond the confines of Lombardy, as individuals bearing the surname Meneghini migrated to other parts of Italy. Notably, in the 16th century, a prominent figure named Giovanni Battista Meneghini (1536-1598) was a renowned scholar and philosopher from the city of Siena.
In the 17th century, the name Meneghini gained further recognition with the birth of Antonio Meneghini (1624-1684), a celebrated Italian architect who contributed to the design of several churches and palaces in the cities of Rome and Naples.
Another notable figure bearing the surname Meneghini was Giuseppe Meneghini (1811-1889), a renowned Italian geologist and paleontologist. He was a professor at the University of Pisa and made significant contributions to the study of fossilized plants and invertebrates.
The name Meneghini also has ties to the world of literature, with the poet and playwright Flaminio Meneghini (1558-1628) hailing from the city of Vicenza. His works, which included pastoral plays and madrigals, were widely acclaimed during his lifetime.
It is important to note that while the surname Meneghini originated in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchanges. However, the historical roots of this surname remain firmly grounded in the regions of northern Italy, particularly Lombardy and its surrounding areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Meneghini
Among Census respondents with the surname Meneghini, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Meneghini 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 Meneghini surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 210
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 12
- Two or more races3.4% · 8
- Black or African American1.3% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Meneghini
Meneghini 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
#88,020
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 211
+17 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 805 places
2020
#85,854
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 234
+23 bearers (+10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 2,166 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #88,825 | 194 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #88,020 | 211 | 0.07 | +17 bearers (+8.8%) | Up 805 places |
| 2020 | #85,854 | 234 | 0.08 | +23 bearers (+10.9%) | Up 2,166 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 Meneghini 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 | #88,020 | #85,854 | 2.5% |
| Count | 211 | 234 | 10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.08 | 11.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Meneghini bearers went from 211 to 234 (+10.9% change). The surname moved up 2,166 positions in the national ranking, going from #88,020 to #85,854.
FAQ
Meneghini surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Meneghini?
Name Census estimates that about 268 living Americans carry the surname Meneghini. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,278,934 residents.
How common is Meneghini?
Meneghini ranks #85,854 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 234 people with the surname Meneghini. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (268), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Meneghini.
Has Meneghini become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Meneghini went from 211 recorded bearers to 234. That is an increase of 23 (+10.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #88,020 to #85,854.
What does the Census say about the background of Meneghini?
Among Census respondents with the surname Meneghini, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Meneghini in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (210 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Meneghini appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Meneghini (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 Meneghini mean?
A locational surname denoting someone from Menaggio, a town in Lombardy, Italy. 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 Meneghini (0.08 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 Meneghini?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.