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

Fania, 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 Fania surname is from the 2000 census data.

Popularity of Fania in America

Fania is the 142819th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fania surname appeared 107 times in the 2000 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Fania.

The history of the last name Fania

The surname Fania is most commonly associated with Italian origins and is believed to have emerged during the medieval period. It is derived from an old Italian or Latin personal name, possibly linked to the Latin word "fanum," meaning "temple" or "sacred place." The name could have initially been used to denote someone who lived near or worked in a temple, reflecting the deeply religious and community-focused aspects of medieval Italian life.

Fania may have originated from the central or southern regions of Italy, areas with a rich history of Roman occupation and a long tradition of close-knit, devout communities. The name's early forms and variations may include Fanio, Fani, or Fano. Such variations were common as families moved and dialects influenced the spelling and pronunciation of surnames over time.

One of the oldest references to the surname Fania can be traced back to the 13th century in the coastal town of Amalfi, which was a significant maritime republic during that time. Historical records from 1278 mention a Giovanni Fania, who was a noted merchant involved in the trade between Italy and the Eastern Mediterranean. His activities were recorded in the annals of the Amalfitan maritime code, a precursor to modern maritime laws.

In the 15th century, another significant historical figure was recorded: Domenico Fania, a landowner in the Tuscan region. His name appeared in the land registries of Florence in 1483, indicating the wealth and influence held by the Fania family in agricultural and economic life during the Italian Renaissance. This period saw the resurfacing of many classical educations and names, explaining the persistence of Latin-derived surnames.

By the 17th century, the Fania surname had spread to different parts of Italy. One notable bearer was Francesco Fania, born in 1642 in Venice. He was a scholar and poet whose works contributed to the rich tapestry of Italian literature. His manuscript, collected in the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, remains an important cultural artifact of the period.

In the 19th century, Luigi Fania, born in 1801, emerged as a prominent political figure during the Italian unification movement, or Risorgimento. His efforts were documented in various historical accounts, reflecting the growing significance of the Fania family in shaping the modern Italian state. He worked closely with other notable figures of the movement and his contributions are memorialized in regional historical records.

These historical instances underline the varied and rich tapestry of the Fania surname, reflecting a legacy rooted in commerce, agriculture, scholarship, and politics. Each bearer of the name has contributed in unique ways to Italian history, making the name Fania a fascinating subject of study for onomatologists and historians alike.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fania

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

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 2000 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Fania 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.

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 Fania was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!