2000
#50,903
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 385
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Ragona
An Italian surname possibly derived from the word "ragione" meaning reason or logic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 439 Americans carry the last name Ragona. That puts it at #57,414 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 780,762 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ragona 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
439
1 in 780,762
Census rank
#57,414
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
383
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 383 bearers of the surname Ragona in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 57414th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ragona, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ragona
The surname Ragona has its origins in the Italian language and can be traced back to the regions of Sicily and Calabria in southern Italy. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "ragone," which means "ray" or "beam of light." This could suggest that the name was initially given to someone who lived near a prominent source of light or had a radiant personality.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ragona can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico di Calabria," a collection of historical documents from the region of Calabria, dating back to the 11th century. In these records, the name appears as "Ragonus" and is associated with various landowners and noblemen.
During the Middle Ages, the name Ragona also surfaced in various Sicilian and Calabrian chronicles, indicating its presence in these regions. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include Vincenzo Ragona, a 15th-century Sicilian nobleman and landowner, and Giacomo Ragona, a 16th-century Calabrian scholar and philosopher.
In the 17th century, the name Ragona appeared in the "Libri Battesimali" (Baptismal Records) of several towns in Sicily and Calabria, suggesting its continued use and spread throughout these regions. One notable figure from this period was Antonio Ragona, a Sicilian architect who designed several churches and palaces in Palermo.
The 18th century saw the rise of several prominent figures with the surname Ragona. Giuseppe Ragona, born in Calabria in 1715, was a renowned painter and sculptor whose works adorned numerous churches and public buildings in southern Italy. Another notable individual was Vincenzo Ragona, a Sicilian lawyer and judge who served as a magistrate in Palermo during the late 18th century.
As the centuries progressed, the name Ragona continued to be associated with various notable individuals, including scholars, artists, and professionals. Some examples include Maria Ragona, a 19th-century Sicilian poet and writer, and Filippo Ragona, a 20th-century Italian politician and member of the Italian Parliament.
While the surname Ragona may have originated in southern Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by Italian immigrants and their descendants. However, its roots can be traced back to the rich cultural heritage of Sicily and Calabria, where it has a long and storied history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ragona
Among Census respondents with the surname Ragona, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Ragona 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 Ragona surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 349
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 18
- Two or more races2.1% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ragona
Ragona 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
#52,970
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 391
+6 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 2,067 places
2020
#57,414
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 383
-8 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 4,444 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #50,903 | 385 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #52,970 | 391 | 0.13 | +6 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 2,067 places |
| 2020 | #57,414 | 383 | 0.13 | -8 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 4,444 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 Ragona 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 | #52,970 | #57,414 | -8.4% |
| Count | 391 | 383 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.13 | -1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ragona bearers went from 391 to 383 (-2.0% change). The surname moved down 4,444 positions in the national ranking, going from #52,970 to #57,414.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ragona
FAQ
Ragona surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ragona?
Name Census estimates that about 439 living Americans carry the surname Ragona. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 780,762 residents.
How common is Ragona?
Ragona ranks #57,414 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 383 people with the surname Ragona. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (439), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Ragona.
Has Ragona become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ragona went from 391 recorded bearers to 383. That is a decrease of 8 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #52,970 to #57,414.
What does the Census say about the background of Ragona?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ragona, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Ragona in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (349 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ragona appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (4.7%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Ragona (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 Ragona mean?
An Italian surname possibly derived from the word "ragione" meaning reason or logic. 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 Ragona (0.13 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 Ragona?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.