2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Scalet
An occupational surname meaning a shingle maker or wood cutter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Scalet. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scalet 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Scalet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scalet, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Black (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scalet
The surname SCALET is believed to have originated in Italy during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "scalare," which means "to scale" or "to climb." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who lived or worked on a steep slope or hillside.
In its earliest recorded forms, the name appeared as "Scaletti" or "Scaleta" in various Italian regions, particularly in the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto. These early spellings likely evolved from the Latin root "scala," meaning "ladder" or "stairs."
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the archives of the city of Verona, where a certain "Petrus Scaleta" is mentioned in a document dated 1327. This suggests that the surname had already been established in the region by the early 14th century.
During the Renaissance period, the name SCALET began to spread across Italy, with notable bearers including the sculptor Giovanni Scalet (c. 1530-1610) from Venice, who contributed to the decorative works of several churches and palaces in the city.
In the 17th century, a branch of the family is recorded in the town of Montepulciano, Tuscany, where the prominent lawyer and jurist Giacomo Scalet (1642-1708) served as a legal advisor to the local nobility.
Another notable figure was the Italian poet and playwright Carlo Scalet (1720-1795), born in Brescia, whose works were widely acclaimed during the Enlightenment era.
As the centuries progressed, the name SCALET continued to be found across various regions of Italy, with some bearers migrating to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One such example is the Italian-American sculptor Ettore Scalet (1889-1965), who was born in Venice but later settled in New York City, where he gained recognition for his public monuments and architectural sculptures.
Despite its Italian origins, the surname SCALET is now found in many parts of the world, owing to the historical migration patterns of Italian populations. However, its roots can be traced back to the steep hills and slopes of northern Italy, where the name first emerged as a descriptive identifier for those who lived or worked in such environments.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scalet
Among Census respondents with the surname Scalet, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Black (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Scalet 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 Scalet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 6
- Black or African American4.0% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scalet
Scalet 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
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-13 bearers (-11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,752 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -13 bearers (-11.6%) | Down 8,752 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 Scalet 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 | #147,253 | #156,005 | -5.9% |
| Count | 112 | 99 | -11.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scalet bearers went from 112 to 99 (-11.6% change). The surname moved down 8,752 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #156,005.
FAQ
Scalet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scalet?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Scalet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Scalet?
Scalet ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Scalet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Scalet.
Has Scalet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scalet went from 112 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 13 (-11.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Scalet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scalet, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Black (4.0%). 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 Scalet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scalet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Hispanic (6.1%), Black (4.0%). 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 Scalet (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 Scalet mean?
An occupational surname meaning a shingle maker or wood cutter. 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 Scalet (0.03 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 Scalet?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.