2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Vaglio
An Italian surname derived from the word "vaglio" meaning sieve or riddle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Vaglio. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vaglio 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Vaglio in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaglio, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vaglio
The surname Vaglio has its origins in Italy, specifically in the regions of Campania and Basilicata, dating back to the medieval period. The name is derived from the Italian word "vaglio," which means a sieve or winnowing basket used for separating grain from chaff, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have been involved in agricultural or milling activities.
One of the earliest recorded references to the Vaglio surname can be found in the historical documents of the town of Vaglio di Basilicata, located in the province of Potenza, Basilicata. This town's name is believed to have influenced the formation of the surname itself, as it was common for people to adopt surnames based on their place of origin or residence during that era.
In the 13th century, the Vaglio family was mentioned in the records of the Kingdom of Naples, which encompassed parts of southern Italy, including Campania and Basilicata. This suggests that the family had attained a certain level of prominence or influence during that time period.
One notable figure with the Vaglio surname was Pietro Antonio Vaglio, a 16th-century Italian painter and architect from Naples. He was born in 1548 and is known for his contributions to the construction and decoration of several churches and palaces in Naples and its surrounding areas.
Another significant individual was Domenico Vaglio, a 17th-century Italian philosopher and theologian from Basilicata. He was born in 1624 and authored several works on philosophy and theology, including "Philosophia Mentis et Sensus" and "Theologia Moralis."
In the 18th century, Girolamo Vaglio, a lawyer and jurist from Campania, gained recognition for his expertise in civil and canon law. He was born in 1712 and served as a legal advisor to various noble families and ecclesiastical institutions in the region.
During the 19th century, Vincenzo Vaglio, an Italian politician and statesman from Basilicata, played a prominent role in the Risorgimento movement, which aimed to unify the various states of the Italian peninsula. He was born in 1812 and served as a member of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy after the successful unification.
The surname Vaglio has also been associated with several notable places in Italy, such as the town of Vaglio di Basilicata mentioned earlier, as well as the village of Vaglio Serra in the province of Salerno, Campania. These place names further reinforce the connection between the surname and its geographical origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vaglio
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaglio, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Vaglio 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 Vaglio surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.6% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino14.0% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 3
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vaglio
Vaglio 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
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+18 bearers (+17.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 15,925 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+17.5%) | Up 15,925 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 Vaglio 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 | #157,234 | #141,309 | 10.1% |
| Count | 103 | 121 | 17.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 34.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vaglio bearers went from 103 to 121 (+17.5% change). The surname moved up 15,925 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #141,309.
FAQ
Vaglio surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vaglio?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Vaglio. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Vaglio?
Vaglio ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Vaglio. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Vaglio.
Has Vaglio become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vaglio went from 103 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 18 (+17.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Vaglio?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaglio, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%). 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 Vaglio in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vaglio appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.6%), Hispanic (14.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%). 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 Vaglio (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 Vaglio mean?
An Italian surname derived from the word "vaglio" meaning sieve or riddle. 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 Vaglio (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 people have the surname Vaglio?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.