2000
#11,405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,534
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Salvo
An Italian surname derived from the Latin word "salvus," meaning "safe" or "unharmed."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,728 Americans carry the last name Salvo. That puts it at #12,454 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,643 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Salvo 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
2.7K
1 in 125,643
Census rank
#12,454
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,379 bearers of the surname Salvo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12454th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Salvo, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Salvo
The surname Salvo originates from Italy, and it is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, specifically around the 11th or 12th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "salvo," which means "safe" or "unharmed." It is believed that the name was initially given as a nickname to individuals who had survived a perilous situation or had returned safely from a dangerous journey or battle.
Salvo is a relatively common surname in southern Italy, particularly in Sicily and the regions surrounding Naples. It is also found in other parts of the country, such as Calabria and Puglia. The earliest recorded instances of the surname Salvo can be traced back to the 13th century in various official documents and records from these regions.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Salvo was Guglielmo Salvo, a nobleman from Palermo, Sicily, who lived in the late 13th century. He was a prominent figure in the city's administration and was mentioned in several historical records from that time period.
Another notable individual with the surname Salvo was Vincenzo Salvo, a Sicilian artist and architect who lived in the 16th century (born around 1510). He was renowned for his work on several churches and palaces in Palermo, including the Church of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio and the Palazzo Abatellis.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe Salvo (1834-1909) was a prominent Italian politician and lawyer from Sicily. He served as a deputy in the Italian Parliament and was also the mayor of Palermo for a brief period.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Salvo was the Italian actor and filmmaker Massimo Salvo (1947-2020). He was known for his work in numerous Italian films and television series, and he also directed several films throughout his career.
Another notable bearer of the name was the Italian writer and journalist Sebastiano Salvo (1853-1920), who was born in Palermo. He was a prolific author and wrote numerous works on Sicilian history, culture, and literature.
While the surname Salvo is primarily associated with Italy, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its roots and earliest recorded instances can be traced back to the southern regions of Italy, particularly Sicily, where it has a rich historical presence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salvo
Among Census respondents with the surname Salvo, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Salvo 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 Salvo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.5% · 2,033
- Hispanic or Latino8.7% · 208
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 76
- Two or more races1.9% · 46
- Black or African American0.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Salvo
Salvo 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
#11,793
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,656
+122 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 388 places
2020
#12,454
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,379
-277 bearers (-10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 661 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,405 | 2,534 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,793 | 2,656 | 0.90 | +122 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 388 places |
| 2020 | #12,454 | 2,379 | 0.80 | -277 bearers (-10.4%) | Down 661 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 Salvo 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 | #11,793 | #12,454 | -5.6% |
| Count | 2,656 | 2,379 | -10.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.80 | -11.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Salvo bearers went from 2,656 to 2,379 (-10.4% change). The surname moved down 661 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,793 to #12,454.
FAQ
Salvo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Salvo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,728 living Americans carry the surname Salvo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,643 residents.
How common is Salvo?
Salvo ranks #12,454 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,379 people with the surname Salvo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,728), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Salvo.
Has Salvo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Salvo went from 2,656 recorded bearers to 2,379. That is a decrease of 277 (-10.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,793 to #12,454.
What does the Census say about the background of Salvo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Salvo, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%). 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 Salvo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (2,033 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Salvo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.5%), Hispanic (8.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.2%). 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 Salvo (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 Salvo mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Latin word "salvus," meaning "safe" or "unharmed." 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 Salvo (0.80 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 are called Salvo?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Salvo, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.