2000
#5,263
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,083
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.25
Rare Last name
Valentino
A surname derived from the Latin name Valentinus, meaning "strong, vigorous, or healthy."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,146 Americans carry the last name Valentino. That puts it at #5,403 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,965 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Valentino 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 Valentino with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.1K
1 in 47,965
Census rank
#5,403
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,232 bearers of the surname Valentino in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5403rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Valentino, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Valentino
The surname Valentino originated in Italy, with its earliest recorded usage dating back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the Latin name Valentinus, which itself stems from the word "valens," meaning "strong" or "vigorous." The name was initially associated with the Catholic Saint Valentine, whose feast day is celebrated on February 14th.
In its early days, the Valentino surname was predominantly found in various regions of central and southern Italy, including Rome, Naples, and Sicily. It is believed to have been adopted by families who either lived near churches or shrines dedicated to Saint Valentine, or who held a particular devotion to the saint.
One of the earliest documented records of the Valentino surname can be found in the archives of the Vatican, where a certain Giovanni Valentino is mentioned as a papal scribe in the 14th century. Another notable early reference comes from a 15th-century manuscript in the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze, which lists a Niccolò Valentino as a prominent merchant in the city of Florence.
Over the centuries, the Valentino surname has been associated with several notable individuals. In the 16th century, Gian Giacomo Valentino (c. 1520 - c. 1590) was a renowned architect and engineer who worked on numerous projects in Rome and the surrounding areas. During the Renaissance period, the painter Valentino Urbini (c. 1570 - c. 1630) gained recognition for his religious works and portraits.
In more recent times, the fashion designer Valentino Garavani (born 1932) has undoubtedly become one of the most famous bearers of the Valentino surname. His luxury fashion house, founded in 1959, has played a significant role in shaping the world of haute couture and establishing the Valentino name as a global brand.
Other notable individuals with the Valentino surname include the Italian conductor and composer Vincenzo Valentino Galilei (c. 1520 - 1591), who was a pioneer in the development of the Baroque style, and the American singer and actor Bobby Valentino (born Robert Wilson, 1980), known for his contributions to the R&B and hip-hop genres.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Valentino
Among Census respondents with the surname Valentino, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Valentino 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 Valentino surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.5% · 5,143
- Hispanic or Latino9.9% · 618
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 158
- Two or more races2.3% · 145
- Black or African American2.0% · 125
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Valentino
Valentino 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
#5,376
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,474
+391 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 2.19
Rank movement Down 113 places
2020
#5,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,232
-242 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Down 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,263 | 6,083 | 2.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,376 | 6,474 | 2.19 | +391 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 113 places |
| 2020 | #5,403 | 6,232 | 2.08 | -242 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 27 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 Valentino 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 | #5,376 | #5,403 | -0.5% |
| Count | 6,474 | 6,232 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.19 | 2.08 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Valentino bearers went from 6,474 to 6,232 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,376 to #5,403.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Valentino
FAQ
Valentino surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Valentino?
Name Census estimates that about 7,146 living Americans carry the surname Valentino. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,965 residents.
How common is Valentino?
Valentino ranks #5,403 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.08 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 6,232 people with the surname Valentino. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,146), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.08 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 Valentino.
Has Valentino become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Valentino went from 6,474 recorded bearers to 6,232. That is a decrease of 242 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,376 to #5,403.
What does the Census say about the background of Valentino?
Among Census respondents with the surname Valentino, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Valentino in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.5% (5,143 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Valentino appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.5%), Hispanic (9.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Valentino (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 Valentino mean?
A surname derived from the Latin name Valentinus, meaning "strong, vigorous, or healthy." 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 Valentino (2.08 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 Americans have the surname Valentino?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.