2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Regalo
An Italian surname meaning "gift" or "present".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Regalo. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Regalo 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Regalo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Regalo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 57.5%. The next largest groups are White (38.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Regalo
The surname Regalo is of Italian origin, derived from the Latin word "regalus," meaning "royal." The name is believed to have emerged in the 14th century, particularly in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Regalo can be found in a document from the city of Siena, dated 1372, which mentions a family by the name of Regalucci. This variation of the surname suggests that it may have originally been a descriptive nickname or a reference to someone's association with royalty or nobility.
During the Renaissance period, the name Regalo gained prominence among Italian artists and intellectuals. Notably, the renowned painter Pietro Regalo, born in 1492 in Florence, was celebrated for his exquisite frescoes adorning various churches and palaces throughout Italy.
In the 16th century, the surname appears in several historical records from the Papal States, including a reference to a prominent lawyer named Giovanni Regalo, who served as a legal advisor to Pope Clement VII during his reign from 1523 to 1534.
As Italian families migrated across Europe, the name Regalo spread to other regions. One notable example is the French philosopher and writer, Jacques Regalo, who lived from 1608 to 1680 and was known for his influential works on ethics and political philosophy.
In the 18th century, the name Regalo gained recognition in the field of music. Antonio Regalo, a composer and violinist born in Venice in 1724, is remembered for his contributions to the development of the Venetian Baroque style.
Another notable figure was Maria Regalo, an Italian opera singer born in Naples in 1783, who achieved widespread acclaim for her performances across Europe, particularly in the roles of Rossini's operas.
The surname Regalo has also been associated with several notable scholars and academics throughout history. One such individual was Giuseppe Regalo, an Italian philosopher and professor at the University of Bologna in the late 19th century, whose works explored the intersection of metaphysics and ethics.
While the surname Regalo may have evolved over time and spread across various regions, its origins can be traced back to the Latin word "regalus," reflecting a connection to royalty or nobility that has been carried through generations of individuals bearing this distinguished name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Regalo
Among Census respondents with the surname Regalo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 57.5%. The next largest groups are White (38.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Regalo 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 Regalo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino57.5% · 65
- White38.1% · 43
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Regalo
Regalo appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,080 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,080 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 Regalo 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 | #144,141 | #147,221 | -2.1% |
| Count | 115 | 113 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Regalo bearers went from 115 to 113 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,080 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #147,221.
FAQ
Regalo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Regalo?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Regalo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Regalo?
Regalo ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Regalo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Regalo.
Has Regalo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Regalo went from 115 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Regalo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Regalo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 57.5%. The next largest groups are White (38.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Regalo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.5% (65 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Regalo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (57.5%), White (38.1%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Regalo (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 Regalo mean?
An Italian surname meaning "gift" or "present". 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 Regalo (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 Americans have the surname Regalo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.