2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fauni
A surname possibly derived from the Italian word "fauna" meaning animal life or wildlife.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Fauni. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fauni 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Fauni in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fauni, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.3%. The next largest groups are White (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fauni
The surname FAUNI is believed to have originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "fauno," which means "faun" in English, referring to the mythological creature that is half-human and half-goat. The name may have been given to someone who had a physical resemblance to a faun or had some association with the mythological figure.
The earliest recorded instances of the FAUNI surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio. In some historical documents, the name was spelled as "Fauni" or "Faunii," reflecting the variations in spelling that were common during that time.
One notable historical reference to the FAUNI name can be found in a 14th-century manuscript from the city of Perugia, where a certain Giacomo Fauni is mentioned as a landowner and prominent citizen. Another early record comes from the town of Orvieto, where a family by the name of Faunii is listed in a census from the late 15th century.
During the Renaissance period, several individuals with the FAUNI surname gained recognition in various fields. For example, Pietro Fauni (1490-1562) was a renowned painter and architect from Florence, known for his contributions to the design of several churches and public buildings in the city. Ludovico Fauni (1520-1587), born in Rome, was a respected scholar and historian who wrote extensively about the history and culture of ancient Rome.
In the 17th century, the FAUNI surname appeared in the records of the Papal States, with a notable figure being Cardinal Girolamo Fauni (1612-1687), who served as the Archbishop of Camerino and played a significant role in the Catholic Church's administration during that time.
Another prominent individual with the FAUNI surname was Antonio Fauni (1735-1810), a renowned composer and musician from Naples, who wrote numerous operas and sacred works that were performed across Italy during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
While the FAUNI surname has its roots in Italy, over the centuries it has spread to other regions as a result of migration and intermarriage. However, it remains most prevalent in its country of origin, particularly in the central and southern regions of Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fauni
Among Census respondents with the surname Fauni, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.3%. The next largest groups are White (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Fauni 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 Fauni surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander98.3% · 115
- White1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fauni
Fauni 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
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+8 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,182 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.3%) | Up 6,182 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 Fauni 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 | #150,452 | #144,270 | 4.1% |
| Count | 109 | 117 | 7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fauni bearers went from 109 to 117 (+7.3% change). The surname moved up 6,182 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #144,270.
FAQ
Fauni surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fauni?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Fauni. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Fauni?
Fauni ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 117 people with the surname Fauni. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Fauni.
Has Fauni become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fauni went from 109 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 8 (+7.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Fauni?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fauni, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.3%. The next largest groups are White (1.7%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fauni in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fauni appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (98.3%), White (1.7%). 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 Fauni (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 Fauni mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Italian word "fauna" meaning animal life or wildlife. 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 Fauni (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 are called Fauni?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Fauni on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.