2000
#11,132
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,615
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Oddo
An Italian surname derived from the Germanic name "Odo," meaning "wealth" or "fortune."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,840 Americans carry the last name Oddo. That puts it at #12,031 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,688 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oddo 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
2.8K
1 in 120,688
Census rank
#12,031
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,477 bearers of the surname Oddo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12031st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oddo, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oddo
The surname ODDO has its origins in Italy, tracing back to the medieval period around the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "oddo," meaning "wolf" or "wild animal." This suggests that the name may have originated as a nickname or descriptive name for someone who exhibited wolf-like characteristics or lived in an area inhabited by wolves.
The earliest known recorded instances of the surname ODDO can be found in historic documents from the regions of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy. In particular, the name appears in records from the city of Bologna, indicating that the name may have been more prevalent in that area during its early history.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname ODDO was Giacomo Oddo, a nobleman who lived in Bologna in the late 13th century. He was a prominent figure in the city's political affairs and served as a member of the local council.
Another notable figure was Francesco Oddo, a Florentine merchant who lived in the 15th century. He was involved in the lucrative silk trade and established a successful business enterprise that contributed to the city's economic prosperity.
In the 16th century, Giovanni Battista Oddo was a renowned artist from Bologna who specialized in fresco painting. Some of his works can still be found adorning the walls of churches and public buildings in his hometown.
During the 17th century, the ODDO surname gained recognition through the accomplishments of Gaspare Oddo, a Jesuit scholar and mathematician from Genoa. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and authored several influential treatises on the subject.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe Oddo, a chemist from Palermo, Sicily, made notable contributions to the study of periodic law and the classification of elements. He proposed the concept of "periodicity" in the arrangement of elements based on their atomic weights, which paved the way for further advancements in the field of chemistry.
While the ODDO surname has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and migration patterns. However, the earliest and most significant historical references to the name can be traced back to its Italian origins, reflecting the rich cultural heritage associated with this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oddo
Among Census respondents with the surname Oddo, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Oddo 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 Oddo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 2,223
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 138
- Two or more races2.6% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 29
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oddo
Oddo 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
#11,764
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,663
+48 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 632 places
2020
#12,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,477
-186 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 267 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,132 | 2,615 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,764 | 2,663 | 0.90 | +48 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 632 places |
| 2020 | #12,031 | 2,477 | 0.83 | -186 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 267 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 Oddo 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 | #11,764 | #12,031 | -2.3% |
| Count | 2,663 | 2,477 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.83 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oddo bearers went from 2,663 to 2,477 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 267 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,764 to #12,031.
FAQ
Oddo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oddo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,840 living Americans carry the surname Oddo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,688 residents.
How common is Oddo?
Oddo ranks #12,031 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,477 people with the surname Oddo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,840), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Oddo.
Has Oddo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oddo went from 2,663 recorded bearers to 2,477. That is a decrease of 186 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,764 to #12,031.
What does the Census say about the background of Oddo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oddo, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Oddo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (2,223 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oddo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (5.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Oddo (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 Oddo mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Germanic name "Odo," meaning "wealth" or "fortune." 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 Oddo (0.83 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 share the surname Oddo?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.