2000
#113,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Zarlingo
An Italian surname derived from "Garo," a man's name of Germanic origin meaning "spear."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Zarlingo. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zarlingo 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Zarlingo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zarlingo, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zarlingo
The surname Zarlingo originates from Italy, with its roots likely stretching back to the medieval period. Names in this region often derived from personal characteristics, occupations, or geographical features, and Zarlingo is no exception.
The name Zarlingo is believed to have regional origins in Southern Italy, particularly within Calabria or Sicily. The phonetic construction of the name aligns with Southern Italian naming conventions and may trace back to dialectical variations of Italian or Latin words. In historical documents, the surname sometimes appears with slight variations in spelling, reflective of the era's inconsistent orthographic norms.
Zarlingo may derive from an old term describing a personal trait or occupation, though specifics are obscured by time. Regions with common trade and migration patterns often altered the name’s spelling, leading to versions like Zirlingo or Zarlengo. Several historical references to the name emerge in parish records, legal papers, and property transactions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Zarlingo appears in a 14th-century Sicilian manuscript where a landholder named Giovanni Zarlingo is mentioned. His descendants continued to hold property in the region for several generations. In the late 15th century, another Zarlingo, Bartolomeo Zarlingo, was noted in historical church records for his contributions to local ecclesiastical buildings.
In the 17th century, a notable bearers were Francesca Zarlingo who played a key role in the administration of a Calabrian estate. By the 18th century, records show Antonio Zarlingo, a renowned merchant who significantly contributed to trade between Calabria and the broader Mediterranean.
Entering the 19th century, Giuseppe Zarlingo became well-known for his involvement in the Risorgimento, the movement for Italian unification. His actions, recorded in several military and political documents, highlight the Zarlingo family's ongoing regional significance.
Additionally, Elisabetta Zarlingo, born in 1872 and documented in various educational circulars, advanced women's education and literacy. Her efforts represent an evolution in the name's association with cultural and social advancements.
Overall, the Zarlingo surname encapsulates a rich history rooted in Southern Italy, with bearers contributing to various facets of regional development from medieval landholding to modern educational reform.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zarlingo
Among Census respondents with the surname Zarlingo, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Zarlingo 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 Zarlingo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zarlingo
Zarlingo 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
#119,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
+2 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 5,989 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-30 bearers (-20.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,249 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #113,519 | 143 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #119,508 | 145 | 0.05 | +2 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 5,989 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -30 bearers (-20.7%) | Down 26,249 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 Zarlingo 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 | #119,508 | #145,757 | -22.0% |
| Count | 145 | 115 | -20.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zarlingo bearers went from 145 to 115 (-20.7% change). The surname moved down 26,249 positions in the national ranking, going from #119,508 to #145,757.
FAQ
Zarlingo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zarlingo?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Zarlingo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Zarlingo?
Zarlingo ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Zarlingo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Zarlingo.
Has Zarlingo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zarlingo went from 145 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 30 (-20.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #119,508 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Zarlingo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zarlingo, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (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 Zarlingo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zarlingo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (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 Zarlingo (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 Zarlingo mean?
An Italian surname derived from "Garo," a man's name of Germanic origin meaning "spear." 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 Zarlingo (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 many people have the surname Zarlingo?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.