2000
#4,104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,990
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.96
Rare Last name
Vargo
Derived from a Hungarian word meaning "cobbler" or "shoemaker," indicating the occupation of the original bearer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,082 Americans carry the last name Vargo. That puts it at #4,859 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,410 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vargo 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
8.1K
1 in 42,410
Census rank
#4,859
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,048 bearers of the surname Vargo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4859th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vargo, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vargo
The surname Vargo is of Hungarian origin and dates back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Hungarian village of Vargyu, which is located in the eastern part of the country near the Romanian border. The name is derived from the Old Hungarian word "varga," meaning "shoemaker" or "cobbler."
One of the earliest known references to the Vargo surname can be found in a document from 1389, which mentions a man named Petrus Vargo residing in the town of Kassa (now Košice, Slovakia). This record suggests that the name was already established in the region by the late 14th century.
In the 15th century, there are records of a family named Vargo living in the village of Várgede (now Vorokhta, Ukraine). The family was involved in the local shoemaking trade, which further reinforces the occupational origin of the surname.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Vargo name began to spread across Hungary and into neighboring regions. In 1612, a man named Janos Vargo was born in the town of Nagyvárad (now Oradea, Romania). He later became a renowned scholar and writer, publishing several works on Hungarian history and literature.
Another notable figure with the Vargo surname was Istvan Vargo (1760-1828), a Hungarian military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in the village of Tiszabecs and fought in several major battles, including the Battle of Austerlitz and the Battle of Borodino.
In the 19th century, the Vargo name appeared in various parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. One prominent individual was Mihaly Vargo (1827-1901), a Hungarian politician and journalist who played a significant role in the Revolution of 1848-1849.
As the 20th century approached, the Vargo surname had spread beyond Hungary and could be found in other parts of Europe and even in the Americas. One notable figure was Antal Vargo (1892-1967), a Hungarian-American artist and sculptor who emigrated to the United States in the early 1900s and became known for his works depicting scenes from Hungarian folklore and history.
Throughout its history, the Vargo surname has maintained a strong connection to its Hungarian roots and the occupation of shoemaking or cobbling. While the name has since spread across various countries and continents, its origins can be traced back to the medieval villages of Hungary and the skilled craftsmen who bore this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vargo
Among Census respondents with the surname Vargo, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Vargo 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 Vargo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 6,469
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 248
- Two or more races3.1% · 218
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 63
- Black or African American0.5% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vargo
Vargo 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
#4,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,787
-203 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 2.64
Rank movement Down 449 places
2020
#4,859
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,048
-739 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 2.36
Rank movement Down 306 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,104 | 7,990 | 2.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,553 | 7,787 | 2.64 | -203 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 449 places |
| 2020 | #4,859 | 7,048 | 2.36 | -739 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 306 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 Vargo 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 | #4,553 | #4,859 | -6.7% |
| Count | 7,787 | 7,048 | -9.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.64 | 2.36 | -10.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vargo bearers went from 7,787 to 7,048 (-9.5% change). The surname moved down 306 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,553 to #4,859.
FAQ
Vargo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vargo?
Name Census estimates that about 8,082 living Americans carry the surname Vargo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,410 residents.
How common is Vargo?
Vargo ranks #4,859 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.36 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 7,048 people with the surname Vargo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,082), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.36 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 Vargo.
Has Vargo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vargo went from 7,787 recorded bearers to 7,048. That is a decrease of 739 (-9.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,553 to #4,859.
What does the Census say about the background of Vargo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vargo, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Vargo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (6,469 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vargo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Vargo (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 Vargo mean?
Derived from a Hungarian word meaning "cobbler" or "shoemaker," indicating the occupation of the original bearer. 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 Vargo (2.36 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 are called Vargo?
Want to know how common the surname Vargo is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.