2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Calafell
A locational surname referring to someone from Calafell, a town in Catalonia, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Calafell. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Calafell 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Calafell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Calafell, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.0%. The next largest groups are White (14.3%) and Black (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Calafell
The surname Calafell has its roots in the Catalonian region of Spain. It is derived from the place name Calafell, a municipality located in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia. The name likely originated in the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.
Calafell is believed to have stemmed from the Latin word "calefactus," which means "heated" or "warmed." This suggests that the place name may have been associated with a location known for its warm climate or perhaps the presence of natural hot springs.
Early records of the Calafell surname can be found in various historical documents from the region, including municipal archives and ecclesiastical records. One of the earliest known mentions of the name dates back to the 13th century, when a certain Pere de Calafell was recorded as a landowner in the area.
In the 15th century, the Calafell family played a significant role in the defense of the region during the Catalan Civil War. Joan de Calafell, born in 1421, was a prominent military leader who fought against the forces of King Juan II of Aragon.
Another notable figure bearing the Calafell surname was Francesc de Calafell, a 16th-century Catalan playwright and poet. His works, written in the Catalan language, contributed to the cultural renaissance of the region during that time period.
In the 17th century, Miquel de Calafell y Borrell (1617-1694) was a distinguished Catalan jurist and legal scholar. He authored several influential treatises on Catalan civil law and served as a magistrate in Barcelona.
Fast-forwarding to the 19th century, Joaquim de Calafell (1820-1891) was a prominent Catalan architect and urban planner. He was responsible for designing numerous notable buildings and public spaces in Barcelona, including the iconic Parc de la Ciutadella.
Throughout history, the Calafell surname has been closely associated with the Catalonian region of Spain, reflecting its deep roots and cultural significance within that area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Calafell
Among Census respondents with the surname Calafell, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.0%. The next largest groups are White (14.3%) and Black (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Calafell 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 Calafell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino79.0% · 94
- White14.3% · 17
- Black or African American4.2% · 5
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Calafell
Calafell appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+11 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,744 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 8,744 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 Calafell 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 | #151,532 | #142,788 | 5.8% |
| Count | 108 | 119 | 10.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Calafell bearers went from 108 to 119 (+10.2% change). The surname moved up 8,744 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #142,788.
FAQ
Calafell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Calafell?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Calafell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Calafell?
Calafell ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 119 people with the surname Calafell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Calafell.
Has Calafell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Calafell went from 108 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 11 (+10.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Calafell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Calafell, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 79.0%. The next largest groups are White (14.3%) and Black (4.2%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Calafell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.0% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Calafell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (79.0%), White (14.3%), Black (4.2%). 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 Calafell (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 Calafell mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Calafell, a town in Catalonia, Spain. 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 Calafell (0.04 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 Calafell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.