2000
#11,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,391
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Vento
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who operated a winnowing machine or sold winnowing fans.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,860 Americans carry the last name Vento. That puts it at #11,977 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 119,844 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vento 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
2.9K
1 in 119,844
Census rank
#11,977
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,494 bearers of the surname Vento in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11977th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vento, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (34.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vento
The surname VENTO is believed to have originated in Italy, with its roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Italian word "vento," meaning "wind," which may have been a descriptive name referring to a person's swiftness or the windiness of the area they lived in.
The earliest recorded instances of the VENTO surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Italy, particularly in the northern regions such as Lombardy and Veneto. Some of the earliest documented bearers of the name include Francesco Vento, a merchant from Venice in the late 13th century, and Giulio Vento, a poet from Milan in the 14th century.
During the Renaissance period, the VENTO surname gained prominence in several Italian cities. One notable figure was Girolamo Vento, a renowned architect from Florence who lived between 1480 and 1554. His work can be seen in various churches and palaces throughout Italy.
In the 16th century, the VENTO name appeared in several historical records, including the census records of the Republic of Venice. These records provide valuable insights into the distribution and prevalence of the surname during that time.
As the VENTO family spread throughout Italy and beyond, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Venti, Ventio, and Ventone. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and local pronunciation.
Notable bearers of the VENTO surname include Antonio Vento (1550-1622), a respected jurist and legal scholar from Naples; Giulia Vento (1620-1678), a celebrated opera singer from Rome; and Luca Vento (1745-1819), a renowned painter from Genoa whose works can be found in several Italian galleries.
In the 19th century, the VENTO name gained recognition in the field of literature with the writer and poet Vincenzo Vento (1810-1888), who was born in Palermo and authored several acclaimed works that explored the culture and traditions of Sicily.
Throughout history, the VENTO surname has been associated with various professions and fields, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements of its bearers. While its origins can be traced back to Italy, the name has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vento
Among Census respondents with the surname Vento, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (34.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Vento 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 Vento surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.8% · 1,566
- Hispanic or Latino34.2% · 852
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 33
- Two or more races1.2% · 30
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vento
Vento 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
#12,192
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,555
+164 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 206 places
2020
#11,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,494
-61 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 215 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,986 | 2,391 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,192 | 2,555 | 0.87 | +164 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 206 places |
| 2020 | #11,977 | 2,494 | 0.83 | -61 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 215 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 Vento 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 | #12,192 | #11,977 | 1.8% |
| Count | 2,555 | 2,494 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.83 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vento bearers went from 2,555 to 2,494 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 215 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,192 to #11,977.
FAQ
Vento surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vento?
Name Census estimates that about 2,860 living Americans carry the surname Vento. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 119,844 residents.
How common is Vento?
Vento ranks #11,977 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,494 people with the surname Vento. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,860), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Vento.
Has Vento become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vento went from 2,555 recorded bearers to 2,494. That is a decrease of 61 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,192 to #11,977.
What does the Census say about the background of Vento?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vento, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (34.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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 Vento in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.8% (1,566 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vento appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.8%), Hispanic (34.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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 Vento (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 Vento mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who operated a winnowing machine or sold winnowing fans. 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 Vento (0.83 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 Vento?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.