Find out how popular the last name Chiofalo is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Chiofalo.

Chiofalo, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Chiofalo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chiofalo in America

Chiofalo is the 70833rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chiofalo surname appeared 276 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Chiofalo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chiofalo to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Chiofalo

The surname Chiofalo originated in Sicily, Italy in the late medieval period. It is derived from the Italian phrase "chi ofala," which translates to "who breathes" or "who exhales." This phrase likely referred to a person who frequently sighed or gasped, potentially due to a respiratory condition or as an expression of exasperation.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Chiofalo appears in a 14th-century tax record from the town of Palermo, Sicily. In this document, a man named Gioacchino Chiofalo is listed as a landowner. It is believed that the name may have originated in this region and subsequently spread to other parts of Sicily.

During the Renaissance period, the name Chiofalo was found in various legal documents and records from cities like Messina and Catania. One notable individual bearing this surname was Antonio Chiofalo, a merchant from Palermo who lived in the late 15th century and participated in trade ventures across the Mediterranean.

In the 17th century, the name Chiofalo appeared in a manuscript detailing the history of a noble Sicilian family. This document mentions a Vincenzo Chiofalo, who served as a magistrate in the city of Trapani during the 1650s.

The 18th century saw the birth of Francesco Chiofalo (1721-1795), a renowned painter from Catania known for his religious works and portraits. His paintings can still be found in churches and museums throughout Sicily.

Another notable figure was Giuseppe Chiofalo (1839-1913), a lawyer and politician from Palermo who served as a member of the Italian Parliament during the late 19th century. He was actively involved in the Italian unification movement and advocated for the rights of Sicilian citizens.

In the early 20th century, Maria Chiofalo (1902-1987), a writer and poet from Messina, gained recognition for her works celebrating the beauty of the Sicilian landscape and culture. Her poetry collections were widely acclaimed and contributed to the preservation of regional literary traditions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chiofalo

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Chiofalo.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Chiofalo was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Chiofalo has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Chiofalo was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Chiofalo, please contact us.

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