2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Ciofani
An Italian surname believed to derive from the dialect word "ciufone" meaning "tuft" or "lock of hair."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 141 Americans carry the last name Ciofani. That puts it at #139,785 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,430,882 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ciofani 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
141
1 in 2,430,882
Census rank
#139,785
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
123
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 123 bearers of the surname Ciofani in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 139785th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ciofani, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ciofani
The surname Ciofani has its roots in Italy, specifically in the Tuscan region. It is believed to have originated during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "ciofolo," which means "bundle" or "bundle of twigs." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked with bundles of wood or twigs, perhaps a forester or a woodcutter.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Ciofani can be found in a document from the city of Florence, dated 1320. This document mentions a certain "Bartolomeo Ciofani," a merchant operating in the city's thriving textile trade. Another early reference is a land record from the town of Arezzo, dated 1412, which lists a "Giovanni Ciofani" as a landowner.
In the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Ciofani was Ercole Ciofani (1424-1492), a humanist scholar and professor at the University of Bologna. He was renowned for his Latin translations of ancient Greek texts and his commentaries on classical literature.
During the Renaissance period, the Ciofani family produced several artists and architects. One of the most prominent was Vincenzo Ciofani (1530-1602), a sculptor and architect from the town of Siena. He is best known for his work on the façade of the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome.
Another notable figure was Girolamo Ciofani (1654-1713), a Jesuit priest and theologian from Florence. He authored several works on religious topics and was a respected scholar of his time.
In the 19th century, a famous bearer of the Ciofani surname was Gaetano Ciofani (1818-1892), an Italian patriot and politician from Tuscany. He played an active role in the Risorgimento movement for Italian unification and served as a deputy in the first Italian parliament after the country's unification in 1861.
While the surname Ciofani is relatively uncommon outside of Italy, it has spread to other parts of the world through immigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the Tuscan region of Italy, where it has a long and rich history spanning several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ciofani
Among Census respondents with the surname Ciofani, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ciofani 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 Ciofani surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 116
- Two or more races4.1% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ciofani
Ciofani 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,045 places
2020
#139,785
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
-8 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,960 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 8,045 places |
| 2020 | #139,785 | 123 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 9,960 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 Ciofani 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 | #129,825 | #139,785 | -7.7% |
| Count | 131 | 123 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ciofani bearers went from 131 to 123 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 9,960 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #139,785.
FAQ
Ciofani surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ciofani?
Name Census estimates that about 141 living Americans carry the surname Ciofani. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,430,882 residents.
How common is Ciofani?
Ciofani ranks #139,785 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 123 people with the surname Ciofani. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (141), 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 Ciofani.
Has Ciofani become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ciofani went from 131 recorded bearers to 123. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #139,785.
What does the Census say about the background of Ciofani?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ciofani, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Ciofani in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ciofani appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Ciofani (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 Ciofani mean?
An Italian surname believed to derive from the dialect word "ciufone" meaning "tuft" or "lock of hair." 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 Ciofani (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 are called Ciofani?
See how many people have the last name Ciofani on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.