2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Fanuele
An Italian surname potentially meaning "son of Emanuele" or originating from a historical place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Fanuele. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fanuele 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Fanuele in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fanuele, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fanuele
The surname FANUELE is of Italian origin, specifically from the regions of Tuscany and Umbria. It is believed to have derived from the medieval Italian word "fanuale," meaning a lamp or lantern bearer. This occupation was common during the Middle Ages when individuals would carry lanterns or torches to light the way for others.
The earliest recorded instances of the name FANUELE can be traced back to the 13th century in the town of Perugia, located in the Umbria region of central Italy. Historical records from this period, such as municipal archives and church records, mention several individuals with variations of the name, including Fanulo, Fanulli, and Fanuele.
One notable example is Bartolomeo Fanuele, a merchant and landowner who lived in Perugia during the late 13th century. His name appears in various land transaction documents and legal proceedings from that time.
In the 14th century, the name FANUELE began to spread beyond Umbria and into neighboring regions, such as Tuscany. This is likely due to the migration of individuals and families seeking economic opportunities or fleeing from conflicts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name FANUELE in Tuscany is found in the archives of the city of Siena, where a certain Giovanni Fanuele is mentioned as a member of the local guild of lamp makers in the year 1357.
The name FANUELE also appears in several medieval manuscripts and chronicles from the 15th and 16th centuries. For instance, a friar named Tommaso Fanuele is mentioned in a chronicle of the Dominican Order in Florence, written in the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the FANUELE family established itself in the city of Lucca, where they became prominent members of the local nobility. One notable figure from this period is Pier Francesco Fanuele, a politician and diplomat who served as an ambassador for the Republic of Lucca in the early 17th century.
Another significant individual with the surname FANUELE was Girolamo Fanuele, a renowned painter and architect from Siena who lived during the 16th century. He is best known for his contributions to the design and construction of several churches and palaces in his hometown.
As the centuries passed, the FANUELE name continued to spread throughout Italy and beyond, with some individuals emigrating to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fanuele
Among Census respondents with the surname Fanuele, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Fanuele 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 Fanuele surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino9.5% · 10
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fanuele
Fanuele appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,443 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 5,443 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 Fanuele 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 | #158,432 | #152,989 | 3.4% |
| Count | 102 | 105 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fanuele bearers went from 102 to 105 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 5,443 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #152,989.
FAQ
Fanuele surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fanuele?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Fanuele. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Fanuele?
Fanuele ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Fanuele. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Fanuele.
Has Fanuele become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fanuele went from 102 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 3 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Fanuele?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fanuele, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Fanuele in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fanuele appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Hispanic (9.5%), Black (1.0%). 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 Fanuele (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 Fanuele mean?
An Italian surname potentially meaning "son of Emanuele" or originating from a historical place name. 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 Fanuele (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 have the surname Fanuele?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.