2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Farni
Originated from a Middle English word meaning person from a distant location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Farni. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Farni 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Farni in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Farni, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Farni
The surname Farni is believed to have originated in the Lombardy region of northern Italy during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "farina," meaning flour or meal, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have been millers or individuals involved in the production or trade of flour.
One of the earliest recorded references to the Farni surname can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Longobardo, a collection of medieval documents from the Lombard period in Italy, dating back to the 8th century. These records mention individuals with variations of the name, such as Farinus and Farinarius.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Guglielmo Farni was a prominent jurist and legal scholar from the town of Piacenza, Lombardy. He authored several influential works on Roman law and is cited in various historical texts from that era.
The Farni surname also appears in the historical records of the Republic of Venice, particularly in the 14th and 15th centuries. During this time, several members of the Farni family held positions of influence within the Venetian government and mercantile circles.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Farni surname was Bartolomeo Farni, a Venetian merchant and trader who lived in the late 14th century. He is mentioned in various commercial records and documents related to trade between Venice and the eastern Mediterranean.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Prospero Farni (1508-1594) was a renowned Italian mathematician and astronomer. He served as a professor at the University of Ferrara and made significant contributions to the fields of algebra and celestial mechanics.
Another prominent individual with the Farni surname was Vittorio Farni (1608-1670), an Italian architect and engineer who was involved in the construction of several notable buildings and fortifications in the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza.
Over the centuries, the Farni surname has also been associated with various place names and locations in northern Italy, particularly in the regions of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna. These include the towns of Farnese, Farneta, and Farneto, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in certain areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Farni
Among Census respondents with the surname Farni, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Farni 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 Farni surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 6
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Farni
Farni 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-4 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,688 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-21 bearers (-17.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 17,943 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 11,688 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -21 bearers (-17.2%) | Down 17,943 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 Farni 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 | #137,327 | #155,270 | -13.1% |
| Count | 122 | 101 | -17.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Farni bearers went from 122 to 101 (-17.2% change). The surname moved down 17,943 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #155,270.
FAQ
Farni surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Farni?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Farni. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Farni?
Farni ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Farni. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Farni.
Has Farni become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Farni went from 122 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 21 (-17.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Farni?
Among Census respondents with the surname Farni, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Farni in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Farni appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Hispanic (5.9%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Farni (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 Farni mean?
Originated from a Middle English word meaning person from a distant location. 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 Farni (0.03 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 share the surname Farni?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.