2000
#15,490
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,735
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Failla
A surname derived from the Italian word "faglia," meaning fault or crack.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,758 Americans carry the last name Failla. That puts it at #17,966 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 194,968 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Failla 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
1.8K
1 in 194,968
Census rank
#17,966
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,533 bearers of the surname Failla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17966th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Failla, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Failla
The surname Failla has its origins in Italy, specifically in the regions of Sicily and Calabria. It is derived from the Latin word "falarica," which refers to a type of incendiary missile used in ancient warfare. The name is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Failla can be found in historical documents and records from the southern Italian regions. One of the earliest known bearers of this surname was Matteo Failla, a nobleman from Palermo, Sicily, who lived in the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the Failla family gained prominence in the city of Messina, Sicily. Records from this period mention several members of the family holding important positions within the local government and society. One notable figure was Giovanni Failla, a merchant and landowner who lived in the late 14th century.
The name Failla also has connections to various place names in Sicily and Calabria. For instance, the town of Failla in the province of Agrigento, Sicily, is believed to have derived its name from the surname itself.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Failla have achieved notable accomplishments. One such person was Domenico Failla, a Sicilian philosopher and theologian who lived from 1598 to 1670. He made significant contributions to the fields of metaphysics and natural philosophy.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Michele Failla, an Italian-American physicist who lived from 1892 to 1973. He was a pioneer in the field of radiation biology and made important contributions to the study of radioactivity and its effects on living organisms.
In the 20th century, Angelo Failla (1878-1950) was a renowned Italian-American sculptor and artist. He is best known for his monumental public sculptures and works adorning various buildings and public spaces in New York City.
Additionally, the name Failla has been associated with the wine industry in Sicily. The Failla family has been involved in winemaking for generations, producing wines from their vineyards in the region.
Lastly, Francesco Failla (1808-1892) was an Italian painter and art restorer who worked on numerous religious and historical artworks, including frescoes and altarpieces in churches throughout Sicily.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Failla
Among Census respondents with the surname Failla, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Failla 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 Failla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 1,367
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 109
- Two or more races2.3% · 35
- Black or African American0.7% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Failla
Failla 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
#16,219
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,780
+45 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 729 places
2020
#17,966
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,533
-247 bearers (-13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.51
Rank movement Down 1,747 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,490 | 1,735 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,219 | 1,780 | 0.60 | +45 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 729 places |
| 2020 | #17,966 | 1,533 | 0.51 | -247 bearers (-13.9%) | Down 1,747 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 Failla 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 | #16,219 | #17,966 | -10.8% |
| Count | 1,780 | 1,533 | -13.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.60 | 0.51 | -14.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Failla bearers went from 1,780 to 1,533 (-13.9% change). The surname moved down 1,747 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,219 to #17,966.
FAQ
Failla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Failla?
Name Census estimates that about 1,758 living Americans carry the surname Failla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 194,968 residents.
How common is Failla?
Failla ranks #17,966 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.51 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 1,533 people with the surname Failla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,758), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.51 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 Failla.
Has Failla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Failla went from 1,780 recorded bearers to 1,533. That is a decrease of 247 (-13.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #16,219 to #17,966.
What does the Census say about the background of Failla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Failla, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Failla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (1,367 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Failla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Hispanic (7.1%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Failla (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 Failla mean?
A surname derived from the Italian word "faglia," meaning fault or crack. 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 Failla (0.51 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 common is the surname Failla?
If you just want to know how common the surname Failla is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.