2000
#27,313
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 832
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.31
Very Rare Last name
Valvo
An occupational surname derived from the Italian word "valvo," referring to a maker or repairer of valves.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 862 Americans carry the last name Valvo. That puts it at #32,724 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 397,627 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Valvo 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
862
1 in 397,627
Census rank
#32,724
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
752
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 752 bearers of the surname Valvo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 32724th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Valvo, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Valvo
The surname Valvo is of Italian origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Latin word "valva," which means "valve" or "leaf of a folding door." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near or worked with valves or doors.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Valvo can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Barese, a collection of medieval documents from the city of Bari, in southern Italy. In these records, dated around the 13th century, there are references to individuals with the surname Valvo living in the region.
The name Valvo also appears in several historical manuscripts and records from other parts of Italy, such as the Archivio di Stato di Palermo in Sicily, where a Giovanni Valvo is mentioned in documents from the 15th century.
In the 16th century, there are records of a notable Italian architect and engineer named Bartolomeo Valvo, who was born in Naples in 1529 and worked on various architectural projects throughout Italy.
Another prominent figure with the surname Valvo was Pietro Valvo, a physician and philosopher from Catania, Sicily, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He authored several works on medicine and philosophy, including "De Principiis Rerum Naturalium" (On the Principles of Natural Things).
In the 18th century, a musician named Domenico Valvo gained recognition in Naples for his compositions and performances. He was born in 1728 and is known for his operas and instrumental works.
The surname Valvo can also be found in some historical place names, such as the town of Valvori in the province of Salerno, Italy, which may have derived its name from the Latin word "valva" or from individuals with the surname Valvo who resided in the area.
Overall, the surname Valvo has a rich history and can be traced back to medieval Italy, where it was likely associated with occupations or locations related to valves, doors, or similar structures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Valvo
Among Census respondents with the surname Valvo, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Valvo 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 Valvo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 710
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 23
- Two or more races2.1% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 2
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Valvo
Valvo 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
#28,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 840
+8 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Down 1,095 places
2020
#32,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 752
-88 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 4,316 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,313 | 832 | 0.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,408 | 840 | 0.28 | +8 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 1,095 places |
| 2020 | #32,724 | 752 | 0.25 | -88 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 4,316 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 Valvo 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 | #28,408 | #32,724 | -15.2% |
| Count | 840 | 752 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.28 | 0.25 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Valvo bearers went from 840 to 752 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 4,316 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,408 to #32,724.
FAQ
Valvo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Valvo?
Name Census estimates that about 862 living Americans carry the surname Valvo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 397,627 residents.
How common is Valvo?
Valvo ranks #32,724 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.25 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 752 people with the surname Valvo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (862), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.25 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 Valvo.
Has Valvo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Valvo went from 840 recorded bearers to 752. That is a decrease of 88 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #28,408 to #32,724.
What does the Census say about the background of Valvo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Valvo, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Valvo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (710 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Valvo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Valvo (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 Valvo mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Italian word "valvo," referring to a maker or repairer of valves. 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 Valvo (0.25 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 Valvo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.