2000
#5,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,353
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.36
Rare Last name
Viola
An Italian occupational surname referring to a player of the viola, a stringed musical instrument larger than a violin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,164 Americans carry the last name Viola. That puts it at #5,392 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,844 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Viola 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 Viola with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.2K
1 in 47,844
Census rank
#5,392
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,247 bearers of the surname Viola in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5392nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Viola, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Viola
The surname VIOLA has its origins in Italy, where it first appeared as an Italian toponymic name derived from places named Viola or Violia. These place names come from the Italian word "viola," which means "violet" and refers to the violet flower. The name likely originated in areas where violets were commonly cultivated or grew in abundance.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname VIOLA can be traced back to the late 12th century in various regions of Italy, particularly in the northern areas around Milan and the central regions near Rome. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Riccardo Viola, a landowner from the town of Casalecchio di Reno, near Bologna, who was mentioned in records dating back to 1215.
In the 14th century, the surname VIOLA appeared in several historical records, including the Libro d'Oro della Nobiltà Veneziana, a book that documented the noble families of Venice. A notable figure from this period was Giovanni Viola, a merchant and diplomat from Venice, who was born around 1320 and served as an ambassador to the court of the Byzantine Empire.
During the Renaissance period, the VIOLA surname gained prominence in various parts of Italy. One notable figure was Antonio Viola, a renowned architect and sculptor from Naples, who lived from 1460 to 1528. He is best known for his contributions to the design and construction of the Certosa di San Martino, a beautiful Carthusian monastery in Naples.
In the 17th century, the VIOLA surname was found in several regions of Italy, including Sicily, where it was associated with the noble families of Palermo. One notable bearer of the name was Giuseppe Viola, born in 1676, who was a renowned painter and a member of the prestigious Accademia di San Luca in Rome.
Another notable figure with the VIOLA surname was Carlo Viola, an Italian composer and violinist who lived from 1692 to 1770. He was born in Avellino, near Naples, and is known for his compositions for violin, which were highly regarded in his time.
As the surname VIOLA spread throughout Italy and beyond, it became associated with various professions and achievements. While the name has its roots in the Italian language and culture, it has since been adopted by people of diverse backgrounds and nationalities, making it a truly international surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Viola
Among Census respondents with the surname Viola, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Viola 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 Viola surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 5,313
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 491
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.0% · 247
- Two or more races2.0% · 124
- Black or African American1.1% · 68
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Viola
Viola 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
#5,271
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,616
+263 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 2.24
Rank movement Down 207 places
2020
#5,392
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,247
-369 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 2.09
Rank movement Down 121 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,064 | 6,353 | 2.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,271 | 6,616 | 2.24 | +263 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 207 places |
| 2020 | #5,392 | 6,247 | 2.09 | -369 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 121 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 Viola 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 | #5,271 | #5,392 | -2.3% |
| Count | 6,616 | 6,247 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.24 | 2.09 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Viola bearers went from 6,616 to 6,247 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 121 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,271 to #5,392.
FAQ
Viola surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Viola?
Name Census estimates that about 7,164 living Americans carry the surname Viola. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,844 residents.
How common is Viola?
Viola ranks #5,392 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.09 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 6,247 people with the surname Viola. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,164), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.09 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 Viola.
Has Viola become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Viola went from 6,616 recorded bearers to 6,247. That is a decrease of 369 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,271 to #5,392.
What does the Census say about the background of Viola?
Among Census respondents with the surname Viola, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%). 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 Viola in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (5,313 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Viola appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Hispanic (7.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%). 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 Viola (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 Viola mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a player of the viola, a stringed musical instrument larger than a violin. 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 Viola (2.09 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 Viola?
See how common the surname Viola is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.