2000
#9,690
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,076
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Felice
Derived from the Latin word meaning "happy" or "fortunate," originally denoting a cheerful or lucky person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,199 Americans carry the last name Felice. That puts it at #10,906 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,144 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Felice 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
3.2K
1 in 107,144
Census rank
#10,906
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,790 bearers of the surname Felice in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10906th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Felice, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Felice
The surname Felice is of Italian origin and can be traced back to the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin word "felix," meaning "happy" or "lucky." The name likely originated as a nickname or descriptive surname for someone with a cheerful or fortunate disposition.
In the 14th century, the surname Felice appeared in various Italian records, particularly in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria. One of the earliest recorded instances is Guido Felice, a merchant from Florence who lived around 1350.
The Felice surname can also be found in historical documents such as tax records and municipal archives from cities like Siena, Perugia, and Rome. For instance, a family of Felice is mentioned in the Catasto of Siena, a tax survey conducted in the late 15th century.
During the Renaissance period, several notable individuals bore the surname Felice. One of the most prominent was Felice della Rovere (1483-1536), an Italian cardinal and patron of the arts. He was a member of the powerful Della Rovere family and played a significant role in the papacy of his uncle, Pope Julius II.
Another well-known figure was Felice Giani (1758-1823), an Italian painter and engraver from Piacenza. He is renowned for his etchings and engravings of religious subjects and landscapes.
In the 19th century, Felice Romani (1788-1865) was a renowned Italian librettist who collaborated with famous composers like Vincenzo Bellini and Gaetano Donizetti. He wrote the librettos for operas such as "Norma" and "La Sonnambula."
Felice Cavallotti (1842-1898) was an Italian poet, playwright, and political activist from Milan. He was a prominent figure in the struggle for Italian unification and later served as a deputy in the Italian parliament.
Another notable individual was Felice Gimondi (1942-2019), an Italian professional cyclist who won the Tour de France in 1965 and the Giro d'Italia in 1967 and 1976.
While the Felice surname originated in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration. However, its roots and historical significance remain firmly tied to the Italian regions where it first emerged and gained prominence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Felice
Among Census respondents with the surname Felice, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Felice 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 Felice surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 2,476
- Hispanic or Latino8.0% · 223
- Two or more races1.8% · 49
- Black or African American0.9% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Felice
Felice 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
#9,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,333
+257 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 40 places
2020
#10,906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,790
-543 bearers (-16.3%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 1,176 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,690 | 3,076 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,730 | 3,333 | 1.13 | +257 bearers (+8.4%) | Down 40 places |
| 2020 | #10,906 | 2,790 | 0.93 | -543 bearers (-16.3%) | Down 1,176 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 Felice 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 | #9,730 | #10,906 | -12.1% |
| Count | 3,333 | 2,790 | -16.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.13 | 0.93 | -17.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Felice bearers went from 3,333 to 2,790 (-16.3% change). The surname moved down 1,176 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,730 to #10,906.
FAQ
Felice surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Felice?
Name Census estimates that about 3,199 living Americans carry the surname Felice. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,144 residents.
How common is Felice?
Felice ranks #10,906 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,790 people with the surname Felice. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,199), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Felice.
Has Felice become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Felice went from 3,333 recorded bearers to 2,790. That is a decrease of 543 (-16.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,730 to #10,906.
What does the Census say about the background of Felice?
Among Census respondents with the surname Felice, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Felice in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (2,476 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Felice appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Hispanic (8.0%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Felice (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 Felice mean?
Derived from the Latin word meaning "happy" or "fortunate," originally denoting a cheerful or lucky person. 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 Felice (0.93 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 Felice?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.