Find out how popular the last name Feliciano is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Feliciano.

Feliciano, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Feliciano surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Feliciano in America

Feliciano is the 1662nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Feliciano surname appeared 21,667 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Feliciano.

We can also compare 2010 data for Feliciano to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Feliciano

The surname Feliciano has its roots in Italy, originating during the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "felice," meaning "happy" or "fortunate," with the suffix "-ano" indicating a place of origin or belonging. The name likely originated in various regions of Italy, possibly as a descriptive name given to individuals who exhibited a cheerful or fortunate demeanor.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Feliciano can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Longobardo, a collection of historical documents from the Lombard period in Italy, dating back to the 8th century. The name appears as "Felicianus," which was a common variant spelling during that time.

In the 13th century, the surname Feliciano was documented in several Italian cities, including Florence and Siena. During the Renaissance era, the name gained prominence as several notable individuals bearing the surname made their mark in various fields.

Among the most renowned individuals with the surname Feliciano was Felice Feliciano (c. 1433-1480), an Italian calligrapher and scribe. He was renowned for his exceptional penmanship and contributed significantly to the development of the humanist cursive script during the Italian Renaissance.

Another notable figure was Felice Feliciano (c. 1488-1559), an Italian poet and historian from Verona. He authored several works, including a history of the city of Verona and a collection of poetry, which earned him recognition among his contemporaries.

In the 16th century, Feliciano Capitano (1519-1597) was a renowned Italian architect and military engineer. He designed fortifications and military structures in various cities across Italy, including Venice and Verona.

During the 17th century, Feliciano Benvenuti (1615-1683) was a celebrated Italian painter and engraver. He is particularly known for his religious works and portrait paintings, which adorned many churches and noble residences in Rome and other Italian cities.

In the 18th century, Feliciano Scarpati (1735-1810) was a prominent Italian composer and music theorist. He composed operas, oratorios, and instrumental works, and his theoretical writings on music were widely studied and influential during his time.

While the surname Feliciano has its origins in Italy, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through Italian migration and diaspora communities. However, its rich historical roots can be traced back to the medieval and Renaissance periods in Italy, where it was closely associated with individuals who made significant contributions to various artistic, literary, and intellectual pursuits.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Feliciano

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Feliciano.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Feliciano was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Feliciano has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Feliciano was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Feliciano, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!