2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Farinola
A surname possibly derived from the Italian words "farina" (flour) and "ola" (diminutive suffix), suggesting an association with grains or milling.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Farinola. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Farinola 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Farinola in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Farinola, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Farinola
The surname Farinola originated in Italy during the medieval period, specifically in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria. It is derived from the Italian word "farina," meaning flour, which suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely involved in the milling or baking trades.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Farinola name can be found in the archives of the city of Perugia, dating back to the 13th century. A document from 1287 mentions a certain "Benvenuto Farinola," who was a baker in the city's guild.
As the Farinola family spread throughout Italy in subsequent centuries, variations of the spelling emerged, such as Farinelli, Farinelli, and Farinacci. These variations often reflected regional dialects or local pronunciations.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Farinola name was Girolamo Farinola (1522-1595), a renowned jurist and legal scholar from Siena. His treatises on canon law and civil procedure were widely studied and influential during the Renaissance period.
Another notable Farinola was Vincenzo Farinola (1618-1688), a celebrated architect from Naples who designed several churches and palaces in the Baroque style, including the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome.
The Farinola name also found its way to the New World, with several members of the family emigrating to the Americas in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One such individual was Antonio Farinola (1876-1948), an Italian-American artist and sculptor who was known for his works depicting religious and historical themes.
In more recent history, the Farinola name has been associated with the culinary arts. Maria Farinola (1921-2008) was a renowned chef and cookbook author from Abruzzo, Italy, who helped popularize the region's traditional cuisine internationally.
Throughout its history, the Farinola surname has maintained a connection to the food and baking industries, reflecting its etymological roots in the Italian word for flour. While not as widespread as some other Italian surnames, it has left a notable mark across various fields, from law and architecture to art and cuisine.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Farinola
Among Census respondents with the surname Farinola, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Farinola 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 Farinola surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Farinola
Farinola 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-11 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,246 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,207 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 17,246 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 5,207 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 Farinola 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 | #138,304 | #143,511 | -3.8% |
| Count | 121 | 118 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Farinola bearers went from 121 to 118 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 5,207 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #143,511.
FAQ
Farinola surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Farinola?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Farinola. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Farinola?
Farinola ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Farinola. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Farinola.
Has Farinola become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Farinola went from 121 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Farinola?
Among Census respondents with the surname Farinola, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%). 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 Farinola in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Farinola appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (5.9%). 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 Farinola (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 Farinola mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Italian words "farina" (flour) and "ola" (diminutive suffix), suggesting an association with grains or milling. 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 Farinola (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 Farinola?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.