2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ciluffo
An Italian surname from the term for "tuft" or "plume," likely referring to a distinguishing feature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Ciluffo. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ciluffo 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Ciluffo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ciluffo, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ciluffo
The surname Ciluffo has its origins in Italy, specifically in the southern regions of Calabria and Sicily. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, sometime around the 12th or 13th century.
Ciluffo is thought to be derived from the Italian word "ciluffo," which translates to "tuft of hair" or "lock of hair." This suggests that the name may have been given as a nickname or descriptive name to someone with a distinctive hairstyle or feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ciluffo can be found in the 14th-century Sicilian manuscript, "Codice Diplomatico dei re Aragonesi di Sicilia," where a person named Nicolo Ciluffo is mentioned. This document provides evidence of the name's existence and usage during that time period.
Another notable historical reference is the appearance of the name Ciluffo in the 16th-century tax records of the city of Palermo, Sicily. These records list several individuals with the surname, indicating that the name was well-established in the region by that point.
In the 17th century, a prominent figure named Francesco Ciluffo (1630-1697) was a renowned philosopher and mathematician from the town of Catanzaro in Calabria. His contributions to the fields of logic and geometry earned him recognition throughout Italy.
Moving forward to the 19th century, Giuseppe Ciluffo (1810-1892) was a celebrated Sicilian painter known for his works depicting landscapes and scenes of everyday life in Sicily. His paintings are now housed in various art galleries and museums across Italy.
Another noteworthy individual was Antonio Ciluffo (1876-1942), a Calabrian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Italian Parliament during the early 20th century. He was a vocal advocate for the rights of workers and played a significant role in shaping labor laws in Italy.
While the surname Ciluffo is predominantly found in southern Italy, it has also spread to other parts of the country and beyond, carried by families who migrated over the centuries. Despite its relatively low frequency compared to more common Italian surnames, the name Ciluffo continues to hold a rich history and cultural significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ciluffo
Among Census respondents with the surname Ciluffo, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Ciluffo 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 Ciluffo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 113
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ciluffo
Ciluffo 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+8 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,763 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-15 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,015 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 1,763 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 15,015 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 Ciluffo 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 | #132,206 | #147,221 | -11.4% |
| Count | 128 | 113 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ciluffo bearers went from 128 to 113 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 15,015 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #147,221.
FAQ
Ciluffo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ciluffo?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Ciluffo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Ciluffo?
Ciluffo ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Ciluffo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Ciluffo.
Has Ciluffo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ciluffo went from 128 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Ciluffo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ciluffo, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Ciluffo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ciluffo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Ciluffo (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 Ciluffo mean?
An Italian surname from the term for "tuft" or "plume," likely referring to a distinguishing feature. 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 Ciluffo (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 Ciluffo?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.