2000
#12,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,213
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Migliore
Italian occupational surname referring to someone who was the best in their profession or a soldier of the highest rank.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,307 Americans carry the last name Migliore. That puts it at #14,307 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,571 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Migliore 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
2.3K
1 in 148,571
Census rank
#14,307
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,012 bearers of the surname Migliore in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14307th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Migliore, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Migliore
The surname Migliore originated in Italy and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "migliore," meaning "better" or "superior." This suggests that the name may have been originally bestowed upon someone who was considered a person of higher status or merit.
The name Migliore is believed to have emerged in the regions of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, where it was well-established by the 13th century. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical documents from cities like Florence and Bologna.
One notable historical reference to the Migliore name is found in the "Libro di Montaperti," a 14th-century manuscript that chronicles the events surrounding the Battle of Montaperti in 1260. The document mentions a certain "Migliore degli Obizi," who was a prominent figure in the conflict between the Guelph and Ghibelline factions.
The Migliore family produced several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest was Tommaso Migliore (c. 1370-1440), a renowned jurist and legal scholar from Bologna who served as a professor of law at the University of Padua. Another prominent individual was Filippo Migliore (1500-1580), a successful merchant and banker from Florence who amassed a considerable fortune through his business ventures.
During the Renaissance period, the Migliore name was associated with the arts and culture. Ludovico Migliore (1540-1618) was a celebrated painter and sculptor from Siena, whose works can be found in various churches and museums across Italy. Sebastiano Migliore (1612-1684), born in Naples, was an esteemed composer and organist who served at the Royal Chapel in Naples and later became the maestro di cappella at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.
In more recent centuries, the Migliore surname has been carried by several notable academics and intellectuals. One such figure was Gennaro Migliore (1838-1918), a prominent philosopher and professor of ethics at the University of Naples. Another was Giuseppe Migliore (1866-1938), a respected linguist and philologist who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek and Latin languages.
While the Migliore name can be traced back to medieval Italy, its bearers have left their mark across various fields and regions throughout the centuries, reflecting the name's original connotation of excellence and distinction.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Migliore
Among Census respondents with the surname Migliore, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Migliore 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 Migliore surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 1,803
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 141
- Two or more races2.3% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Migliore
Migliore 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
#13,338
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,286
+73 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 555 places
2020
#14,307
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,012
-274 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 969 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,783 | 2,213 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,338 | 2,286 | 0.77 | +73 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 555 places |
| 2020 | #14,307 | 2,012 | 0.67 | -274 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 969 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 Migliore 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 | #13,338 | #14,307 | -7.3% |
| Count | 2,286 | 2,012 | -12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.67 | -12.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Migliore bearers went from 2,286 to 2,012 (-12.0% change). The surname moved down 969 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,338 to #14,307.
FAQ
Migliore surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Migliore?
Name Census estimates that about 2,307 living Americans carry the surname Migliore. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,571 residents.
How common is Migliore?
Migliore ranks #14,307 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,012 people with the surname Migliore. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,307), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Migliore.
Has Migliore become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Migliore went from 2,286 recorded bearers to 2,012. That is a decrease of 274 (-12.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,338 to #14,307.
What does the Census say about the background of Migliore?
Among Census respondents with the surname Migliore, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Migliore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (1,803 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Migliore appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (7.0%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Migliore (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 Migliore mean?
Italian occupational surname referring to someone who was the best in their profession or a soldier of the highest rank. 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 Migliore (0.67 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 Migliore?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.