2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Viarengo
A surname originating from the Ligurian village of Viarengo, located in northwestern Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Viarengo. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Viarengo 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Viarengo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Viarengo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Viarengo
The surname Viarengo has its origins in Italy, specifically in the northwestern region of Liguria. The name is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the Italian words "via," meaning "road" or "way," and "rengo," which may have been a local dialectal term or an occupational reference.
One theory suggests that the name Viarengo initially referred to individuals who lived or worked along a particular road or pathway, perhaps overseeing its maintenance or serving as guides or innkeepers for travelers. Another possibility is that the name was associated with those who worked as road or bridge builders, a skilled trade in those times.
The earliest known record of the name Viarengo dates back to the 15th century, with a mention in a historical document from the city of Genoa in 1462. This document, a census or tax record, lists a "Giovanno Viarengo" as a resident of the city.
In the 16th century, the Viarengo name appears in several municipal records and property deeds from the towns and villages around Genoa, such as Voltri, Arenzano, and Pegli. This suggests that the name had spread across the coastal region of Liguria by that time.
One notable figure bearing the Viarengo name was Bartolomeo Viarengo (1606-1672), a Genoese merchant and ship owner who established trade routes between the Mediterranean and the Americas. His successful ventures contributed to the prosperity of the Genoese maritime economy in the 17th century.
Another historical figure was Giovanni Battista Viarengo (1718-1797), a celebrated architect from the town of Varazze, Liguria. He designed several churches and public buildings in the region, including the Church of San Nazario e Celso in Genoa, which is considered one of his masterpieces.
In the 19th century, the Viarengo name crossed the Atlantic with Italian immigrants. Pietro Viarengo (1828-1902) was a prominent businessman and landowner in Montevideo, Uruguay, where he established a successful import-export company and became an influential member of the Italian community.
Antonio Viarengo (1862-1942), born in Genoa, was a renowned photographer who documented the construction of the Panama Canal in the early 20th century. His photographs are considered invaluable historical records of this monumental engineering feat.
Another notable figure was Enrico Viarengo (1875-1954), a lawyer and politician from Savona, Liguria. He served as a member of the Italian Parliament and was a vocal advocate for workers' rights and social reforms during the early years of the 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Viarengo
Among Census respondents with the surname Viarengo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Viarengo 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 Viarengo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- Black or African American2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Viarengo
Viarengo 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+5 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,292 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,162 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 4,292 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 2,162 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 Viarengo 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 | #142,108 | #144,270 | -1.5% |
| Count | 117 | 117 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Viarengo bearers went from 117 to 117 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 2,162 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #144,270.
FAQ
Viarengo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Viarengo?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Viarengo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Viarengo?
Viarengo ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Viarengo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Viarengo.
Has Viarengo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Viarengo went from 117 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Viarengo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Viarengo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (2.6%). 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 Viarengo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Viarengo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (4.3%), Black (2.6%). 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 Viarengo (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 Viarengo mean?
A surname originating from the Ligurian village of Viarengo, located in northwestern Italy. 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 Viarengo (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 common is the surname Viarengo?
Want to know how common the surname Viarengo is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.