2000
#4,838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,657
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.47
Rare Last name
Valente
Derived from the Italian word "valente," meaning "brave," "strong," or "valiant," an epithet applied to a courageous person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,271 Americans carry the last name Valente. That puts it at #4,752 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,440 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Valente 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Valente with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.3K
1 in 41,440
Census rank
#4,752
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,213 bearers of the surname Valente in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4752nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Valente, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Valente
The surname Valente has its origins in Italy, and it dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Italian word "valente," which means "valiant" or "courageous." The name likely originated as a nickname or personal description for someone who was considered brave or valorous.
The earliest recorded instances of the Valente surname can be found in historical documents from various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Lazio, and Campania. One notable example is the mention of a person named Valente in the records of the city of Siena, dating back to the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the name Valente appeared in the Florentine Catasto, a census-like document that recorded the names and properties of citizens in Florence and its surrounding areas. This suggests that the Valente family had established roots in Tuscany during that time.
The surname Valente was also present in historical records from other parts of Italy, such as Naples and the surrounding region of Campania. In the 16th century, a nobleman named Giovanni Battista Valente served as a commander in the Neapolitan army.
As the name spread throughout Italy, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged, including Valenti, Valentini, and Valentino. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and local customs.
Notable individuals with the surname Valente include:
1. Gabriele Valente (1508-1572), an Italian composer and organist who served at the Vatican during the Renaissance.
2. Domenico Valente (1678-1754), an Italian painter known for his religious works and portraits.
3. Vincenzo Valente (1855-1920), an Italian sculptor and painter who worked in the Neoclassical and Realist styles.
4. Bernardo Valente (1892-1965), an Italian-American painter and illustrator known for his vivid depictions of urban life.
5. Paolo Valente (born 1964), an Italian politician and member of the European Parliament.
Over time, the Valente surname spread beyond Italy, carried by Italian immigrants to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and South America. However, the name's origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the cultural heritage of Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Valente
Among Census respondents with the surname Valente, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Valente 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 Valente surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.5% · 5,299
- Hispanic or Latino21.5% · 1,554
- Two or more races2.5% · 177
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 130
- Black or African American0.7% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Valente
Valente 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
#4,683
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,580
+923 bearers (+13.9%)
Per 100,000 2.57
Rank movement Up 155 places
2020
#4,752
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,213
-367 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 2.41
Rank movement Down 69 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,838 | 6,657 | 2.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,683 | 7,580 | 2.57 | +923 bearers (+13.9%) | Up 155 places |
| 2020 | #4,752 | 7,213 | 2.41 | -367 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 69 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 Valente 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 | #4,683 | #4,752 | -1.5% |
| Count | 7,580 | 7,213 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.57 | 2.41 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Valente bearers went from 7,580 to 7,213 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 69 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,683 to #4,752.
FAQ
Valente surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Valente?
Name Census estimates that about 8,271 living Americans carry the surname Valente. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,440 residents.
How common is Valente?
Valente ranks #4,752 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,213 people with the surname Valente. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,271), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Valente.
Has Valente become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Valente went from 7,580 recorded bearers to 7,213. That is a decrease of 367 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,683 to #4,752.
What does the Census say about the background of Valente?
Among Census respondents with the surname Valente, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.5%) and Two or More Races (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 Valente in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.5% (5,299 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Valente appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.5%), Hispanic (21.5%), Two or More Races (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 Valente (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 Valente mean?
Derived from the Italian word "valente," meaning "brave," "strong," or "valiant," an epithet applied to a courageous person. 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 Valente (2.41 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 last name Valente?
Want to know how many people are called Valente? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.