2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Faraguna
A surname potentially derived from an Italian regional term or place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Faraguna. 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 Faraguna 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 Faraguna 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 Faraguna, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Black (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Faraguna
The surname Faraguna is believed to have its origins in Italy, specifically in the regions of Calabria and Sicily. It is thought to have emerged during the latter part of the Middle Ages, sometime between the 12th and 15th centuries.
The name Faraguna is likely derived from the Italian word "faragone," which means "touchstone" or "test." This suggests that the name may have been originally associated with a person who worked with precious metals or served as an assayer to test the purity of metals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Faraguna can be found in a document from the Sicilian town of Messina, dated around 1350. This document mentions a certain Guglielmo Faraguna, who was a local merchant and landowner.
In the 16th century, records show a Faraguna family residing in the town of Reggio Calabria. One notable member of this family was Antonio Faraguna, a skilled artisan who specialized in creating intricate wooden carvings for churches and noble households. He lived from approximately 1520 to 1592.
The name Faraguna also appears in several historical documents from the nearby town of Palmi, Calabria. In the late 17th century, a man named Vincenzo Faraguna is mentioned as a respected scholar and tutor to the children of local aristocratic families.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the name Faraguna can be found in various regions of southern Italy, including Naples and its surrounding areas. One notable figure was Giuseppe Faraguna, a painter and artist who lived in Naples from 1776 to 1848. His works were exhibited in several galleries across Italy during his lifetime.
Another individual of note was Caterina Faraguna, born in 1822 in the town of Cosenza, Calabria. She was a renowned educator and advocate for women's rights, and she established several schools for girls in the region.
It is worth mentioning that variations of the name, such as Farraguna and Faragone, have also been documented in historical records, likely stemming from the same linguistic roots as the original Faraguna surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Faraguna
Among Census respondents with the surname Faraguna, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Black (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Faraguna 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 Faraguna surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 95
- Black or African American2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Faraguna
Faraguna 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
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,918 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 1,918 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 Faraguna 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 | #154,907 | #152,989 | 1.2% |
| Count | 105 | 105 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Faraguna bearers went from 105 to 105 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 1,918 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #152,989.
FAQ
Faraguna surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Faraguna?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Faraguna. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Faraguna?
Faraguna 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 Faraguna. 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 Faraguna.
Has Faraguna become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Faraguna went from 105 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Faraguna?
Among Census respondents with the surname Faraguna, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Black (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Faraguna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Faraguna appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Black (2.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Faraguna (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 Faraguna mean?
A surname potentially derived from an Italian regional term or 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 Faraguna (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 common is the surname Faraguna?
If you just want to know how common the surname Faraguna is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.