2000
#60,390
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 312
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Ghilardi
An Italian surname of an occupational nature referring to a miller or grain handler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 313 Americans carry the last name Ghilardi. That puts it at #76,032 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,095,062 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ghilardi 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
313
1 in 1,095,062
Census rank
#76,032
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
273
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 273 bearers of the surname Ghilardi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 76032nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ghilardi, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ghilardi
The surname Ghilardi originated in Italy, with its earliest recorded examples dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to have derived from the Italian word "ghilardone," which referred to a type of skilled military engineer or builder responsible for the construction of fortifications and siege engines. The name may also have roots in the Lombard dialect word "ghilard," meaning "bold" or "daring."
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in a manuscript from the city of Brescia in northern Italy, dated around 1170. This document mentions a certain Gherardo Ghilardi, who was a skilled architect and engineer involved in the construction of the city's defensive walls and towers.
Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the Ghilardi family played a prominent role in various Italian cities, particularly in the regions of Lombardy and Veneto. Several notable figures bearing this surname emerged during this period, including:
1. Niccolò Ghilardi (1325-1397), a renowned military engineer from Verona who designed and oversaw the construction of several fortresses and castles in the service of the Scaliger and Visconti families.
2. Giacomo Ghilardi (1480-1555), a celebrated architect and sculptor from Milan, known for his work on the Cathedral of Milan and other prestigious buildings in the city.
3. Bartolomeo Ghilardi (1560-1634), a prominent lawyer and jurist from Brescia, who served as a judge in the Venetian Republic and authored several influential legal treatises.
4. Girolamo Ghilardi (1605-1679), a Venetian painter and engraver, known for his religious and mythological works, which adorned many churches and palaces in Venice and the surrounding areas.
5. Giovanni Battista Ghilardi (1720-1798), a renowned mathematician and astronomer from Bergamo, who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
In addition to these notable figures, the Ghilardi name has been associated with various place names throughout Italy, such as the village of Ghilardini in the province of Brescia and the Ghilardi Valley near the city of Treviso.
While the name's origins can be traced back to medieval Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by Italian emigrants and their descendants. However, the historical roots and earliest recorded examples of the surname Ghilardi remain firmly rooted in the rich cultural and architectural heritage of northern Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ghilardi
Among Census respondents with the surname Ghilardi, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ghilardi 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 Ghilardi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 232
- Hispanic or Latino9.5% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 6
- Two or more races2.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ghilardi
Ghilardi 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
#66,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 295
-17 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 6,541 places
2020
#76,032
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 273
-22 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 9,101 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #60,390 | 312 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #66,931 | 295 | 0.10 | -17 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 6,541 places |
| 2020 | #76,032 | 273 | 0.09 | -22 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 9,101 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 Ghilardi 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 | #66,931 | #76,032 | -13.6% |
| Count | 295 | 273 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.09 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ghilardi bearers went from 295 to 273 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 9,101 positions in the national ranking, going from #66,931 to #76,032.
FAQ
Ghilardi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ghilardi?
Name Census estimates that about 313 living Americans carry the surname Ghilardi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,095,062 residents.
How common is Ghilardi?
Ghilardi ranks #76,032 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 273 people with the surname Ghilardi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (313), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Ghilardi.
Has Ghilardi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ghilardi went from 295 recorded bearers to 273. That is a decrease of 22 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #66,931 to #76,032.
What does the Census say about the background of Ghilardi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ghilardi, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.2%). 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 Ghilardi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (232 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ghilardi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Hispanic (9.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.2%). 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 Ghilardi (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 Ghilardi mean?
An Italian surname of an occupational nature referring to a miller or grain handler. 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 Ghilardi (0.09 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 share the surname Ghilardi?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.