2000
#10,180
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,908
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Cioffi
An Italian occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of tufts, plumes, or decorative feathers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,188 Americans carry the last name Cioffi. That puts it at #10,943 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,514 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cioffi 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cioffi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 107,514
Census rank
#10,943
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,780 bearers of the surname Cioffi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10943rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cioffi, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cioffi
The surname CIOFFI is of Italian origin, deriving from the region of Campania. It is believed to have emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century. The name is thought to have originated from the word "ciuffo," which means "tuft" or "lock of hair" in Italian. This likely referred to a distinctive physical characteristic of an early bearer of the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name CIOFFI can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Barese, a collection of medieval documents from the city of Bari, dating back to the 13th century. The name appears in several entries, suggesting it was already well-established in the region by that time.
In the late 15th century, a nobleman named Giovanni Battista Cioffi was mentioned in the records of the Kingdom of Naples. He was a prominent figure in the court of King Ferdinand I of Naples and is believed to have been a influential advisor to the monarch.
During the Renaissance period, a notable bearer of the name was the Italian painter and architect Giovan Battista Cioffi, who lived from 1534 to 1611. He was renowned for his frescoes and architectural works in various churches and palaces across southern Italy.
Another historical figure with the surname CIOFFI was Nicola Cioffi, a Neapolitan composer and musician who lived from 1671 to 1743. He is known for his contributions to the development of the Baroque music style and his compositions for the royal court of Naples.
In the 19th century, a prominent Italian lawyer and politician named Giuseppe Cioffi played a significant role in the Risorgimento movement, which led to the unification of Italy. He was born in 1818 and served as a member of the Italian Parliament during the early years of the Kingdom of Italy.
Throughout history, the surname CIOFFI has been associated with various localities in the Campania region, including the towns of Avellino, Salerno, and Benevento. The name may have originated from one of these areas or nearby villages, where early bearers of the name resided.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cioffi
Among Census respondents with the surname Cioffi, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Cioffi 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 Cioffi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 2,563
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 157
- Two or more races1.2% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 15
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cioffi
Cioffi 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
#10,844
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,937
+29 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 664 places
2020
#10,943
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,780
-157 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 99 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,180 | 2,908 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,844 | 2,937 | 1.00 | +29 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 664 places |
| 2020 | #10,943 | 2,780 | 0.93 | -157 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 99 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 Cioffi 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 | #10,844 | #10,943 | -0.9% |
| Count | 2,937 | 2,780 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.93 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cioffi bearers went from 2,937 to 2,780 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 99 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,844 to #10,943.
FAQ
Cioffi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cioffi?
Name Census estimates that about 3,188 living Americans carry the surname Cioffi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,514 residents.
How common is Cioffi?
Cioffi ranks #10,943 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,780 people with the surname Cioffi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,188), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cioffi.
Has Cioffi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cioffi went from 2,937 recorded bearers to 2,780. That is a decrease of 157 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,844 to #10,943.
What does the Census say about the background of Cioffi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cioffi, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (1.2%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cioffi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (2,563 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cioffi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (5.6%), Two or More Races (1.2%). 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 Cioffi (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 Cioffi mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of tufts, plumes, or decorative feathers. 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 Cioffi (0.93 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 Americans have the surname Cioffi?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.