2000
#26,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 868
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.32
Very Rare Last name
Pandolfo
Italian surname meaning a person who raised cubs or young wolves.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 911 Americans carry the last name Pandolfo. That puts it at #31,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 376,240 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pandolfo 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
911
1 in 376,240
Census rank
#31,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
794
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 794 bearers of the surname Pandolfo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 31269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pandolfo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pandolfo
The surname Pandolfo has its origins in Italy, dating back to the medieval period. The name is derived from the Italian personal name Pandolfo, which is believed to be a combination of the Germanic elements "pant" meaning "pledge" and "wulf" meaning "wolf." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who was considered a loyal or trustworthy person.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pandolfo can be found in the 11th century, when a nobleman named Pandolfo Capodiferro was mentioned in historical documents from the city of Benevento in southern Italy. Pandolfo Capodiferro was a prominent figure in the region during the 11th century and played a significant role in the political and military affairs of the time.
The name Pandolfo also appears in several Italian literary works from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period. For instance, the 14th-century poet Petrarch mentions a character named Pandolfo in one of his works, indicating that the name was relatively well-known during that time.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Pandolfo Petrucci held significant power in the city of Siena, serving as the ruler of the city-state from 1487 to 1512. Petrucci was a highly influential figure in Italian politics and played a crucial role in shaping the political landscape of the region.
Another prominent individual with the surname Pandolfo was the 16th-century Italian architect and sculptor Pandolfo Pericoli, who was active in the city of Florence during the Renaissance. Pericoli was renowned for his architectural designs and his contributions to the artistic and cultural development of the city.
Throughout the centuries, the surname Pandolfo has been found in various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio. It has also been associated with several place names, such as Pandolfo di Caravaggio, a town in the province of Bergamo, and Pandolfo Malatesta, a noble family from the region of Rimini.
While the surname Pandolfo is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich history that can be traced back to the medieval period in Italy. The name has been carried by notable figures in various fields, including politics, literature, and the arts, reflecting its enduring legacy and cultural significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pandolfo
Among Census respondents with the surname Pandolfo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Pandolfo 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 Pandolfo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 719
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 55
- Two or more races1.4% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 6
- Black or African American0.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pandolfo
Pandolfo 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
#28,704
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 830
-38 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Down 2,258 places
2020
#31,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 794
-36 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 2,565 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #26,446 | 868 | 0.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,704 | 830 | 0.28 | -38 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 2,258 places |
| 2020 | #31,269 | 794 | 0.27 | -36 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 2,565 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 Pandolfo 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 | #28,704 | #31,269 | -8.9% |
| Count | 830 | 794 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.28 | 0.27 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pandolfo bearers went from 830 to 794 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 2,565 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,704 to #31,269.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pandolfo
FAQ
Pandolfo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pandolfo?
Name Census estimates that about 911 living Americans carry the surname Pandolfo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 376,240 residents.
How common is Pandolfo?
Pandolfo ranks #31,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 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 794 people with the surname Pandolfo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (911), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 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 Pandolfo.
Has Pandolfo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pandolfo went from 830 recorded bearers to 794. That is a decrease of 36 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #28,704 to #31,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Pandolfo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pandolfo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Pandolfo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (719 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pandolfo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (6.9%), Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Pandolfo (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 Pandolfo mean?
Italian surname meaning a person who raised cubs or young wolves. 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 Pandolfo (0.27 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 are called Pandolfo?
See how many people are called Pandolfo on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.