2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Scaletti
A variant of the Italian surname referring to a stair or ladder builder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Scaletti. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scaletti 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Scaletti in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scaletti, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scaletti
The surname Scaletti is of Italian origin, emerging from the northern regions of Italy during the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "scala," which translates to "stair" or "ladder," suggesting a potential link to an ancestor's occupation or residence near a notable set of stairs or a stairway construction.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Scaletti can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis," a collection of medieval documents from the Cava de' Tirreni monastery in southern Italy, dating back to the 11th century. This indicates that the name was already in use during this time period.
In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the surname was Guglielmo Scaletti, a prominent merchant and landowner from the city of Genoa. Records show that he owned several properties and vineyards in the surrounding areas, contributing to the local economy and influencing the region's trade activities.
During the Renaissance period, the name Scaletti gained further recognition with the birth of Pietro Scaletti in 1472 in Florence. He was a renowned architect and engineer known for his innovative designs and contributions to the city's architectural landscape.
Another notable figure with the surname Scaletti was Giovanni Battista Scaletti, born in 1592 in Vicenza. He was a celebrated composer and music theorist, renowned for his contributions to the development of early baroque music and his treatises on musical theory.
In the 19th century, the name Scaletti was associated with the Italian revolutionary movement. Luigi Scaletti, born in 1818 in Milan, was a prominent figure in the Risorgimento, the struggle for Italian unification. He participated in various uprisings and played a crucial role in the fight for independence from foreign rule.
While the surname Scaletti originated in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, its roots can be traced back to the northern Italian regions, where it emerged as a distinctive surname with a rich historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scaletti
Among Census respondents with the surname Scaletti, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Scaletti 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 Scaletti surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino7.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scaletti
Scaletti 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-17 bearers (-13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,440 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-4 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,226 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.0%) | Down 23,440 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 4,226 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 Scaletti 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 | #145,220 | #149,446 | -2.9% |
| Count | 114 | 110 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scaletti bearers went from 114 to 110 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 4,226 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #149,446.
FAQ
Scaletti surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scaletti?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Scaletti. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Scaletti?
Scaletti ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Scaletti. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Scaletti.
Has Scaletti become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scaletti went from 114 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Scaletti?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scaletti, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%). 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 Scaletti in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scaletti appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (7.3%). 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 Scaletti (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 Scaletti mean?
A variant of the Italian surname referring to a stair or ladder builder. 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 Scaletti (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 common is the surname Scaletti?
Find out how common the surname Scaletti is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.