Explore the Family Name Legato

The meaning of Legato

Italian: from legato ‘legate, envoy of the Roman Catholic Church’, presumably either a nickname for one who gave himself the air of a papal legate, or an occupational name for someone in the service of a legate. Some characteristic forenames: Italian Antonio, Carmelo, Luciano, Rocco, Salvatore.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Legato in the United States?

According to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Legato" saw a minor shift between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname ranked 55,481 in popularity, with a total count of 346 individuals bearing the name. By 2010, the rank had slightly dropped to 55,505, but the actual number of people with this surname increased by nearly 7% to reach 370. The proportion per 100,000 people remained consistent at 0.13 for both years.

20002010Change
Rank#55,481#55,505-0.04%
Count3463706.94%
Proportion per 100k0.130.130%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Legato

On the topic of ethnic identity, the census data reveals that the majority of individuals with the Legato surname identify as White. In 2000, approximately 97.98% of the Legatos identified as White, though this percentage decreased slightly to 96.49% by 2010. Conversely, the percentage of Legatos identifying as Hispanic increased significantly during this period, rising from 1.45% to 2.43%. No Legatos identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native during either census year.

20002010Change
White97.98%96.49%-1.52%
Hispanic1.45%2.43%67.59%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Two or More Races0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%