2000
#72,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 252
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Ferlazzo
A locational surname derived from the town of Ferlazzo in Sicily, Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 280 Americans carry the last name Ferlazzo. That puts it at #83,139 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,224,123 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ferlazzo 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
280
1 in 1,224,123
Census rank
#83,139
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
244
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 244 bearers of the surname Ferlazzo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 83139th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferlazzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ferlazzo
The surname Ferlazzo has its origins in Italy, with records dating back to the 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "ferula," which means "rod" or "staff." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify individuals who worked with rods or staffs, such as shepherds or travelers.
In its earliest forms, the name was spelled as "Ferlazo" or "Ferlaccio." These variations can be found in ancient manuscripts and documents from the regions of Sicily and Calabria, where the name was particularly prevalent. One of the earliest known references to the name Ferlazzo can be traced back to a Sicilian land registry from the year 1183, which mentions a landowner named Guglielmo Ferlazzo.
The town of Ferlazzo in the province of Messina, Sicily, may have played a role in the name's origins. It is possible that individuals from this town adopted the name as a way to identify their place of origin, and the name then spread throughout the region. Alternatively, the name could have been derived from a local word or phrase that is now lost to history.
As the surname Ferlazzo spread throughout Italy, it gained recognition and prominence. One notable figure was Giovanni Ferlazzo, a 15th-century Sicilian nobleman and military commander who fought against the Aragonese dynasty. Another notable bearer of the name was Pietro Ferlazzo, a 16th-century Sicilian architect and engineer known for his work on the Basilica of San Pietro in Rome.
In more recent centuries, the Ferlazzo name has continued to be represented in various fields. Gaetano Ferlazzo (1825-1897) was an Italian philosopher and political theorist who advocated for social reforms and democratic ideals. Vittorio Ferlazzo (1878-1940) was a renowned Italian sculptor and painter, known for his works depicting scenes from Sicilian life.
Another prominent figure was Rosario Ferlazzo (1886-1960), an Italian-American businessman and philanthropist who established the Ferlazzo Building in New York City, which served as a cultural hub for the Italian-American community. In the field of literature, Sebastiano Ferlazzo (1927-1997) was a Sicilian poet and writer, renowned for his works that explored themes of identity and cultural heritage.
Throughout its history, the surname Ferlazzo has maintained its roots in Italy, particularly in the regions of Sicily and Calabria. While the name has spread to other parts of the world through emigration, its origins remain firmly rooted in the rich cultural traditions and historical narratives of these Italian regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ferlazzo
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferlazzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ferlazzo 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 Ferlazzo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 227
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 13
- Two or more races0.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ferlazzo
Ferlazzo 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
#73,666
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 263
+11 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 1,644 places
2020
#83,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 244
-19 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 9,473 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #72,022 | 252 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #73,666 | 263 | 0.09 | +11 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 1,644 places |
| 2020 | #83,139 | 244 | 0.08 | -19 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 9,473 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 Ferlazzo 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 | #73,666 | #83,139 | -12.9% |
| Count | 263 | 244 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.08 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ferlazzo bearers went from 263 to 244 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 9,473 positions in the national ranking, going from #73,666 to #83,139.
FAQ
Ferlazzo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ferlazzo?
Name Census estimates that about 280 living Americans carry the surname Ferlazzo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,224,123 residents.
How common is Ferlazzo?
Ferlazzo ranks #83,139 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 244 people with the surname Ferlazzo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (280), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Ferlazzo.
Has Ferlazzo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ferlazzo went from 263 recorded bearers to 244. That is a decrease of 19 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #73,666 to #83,139.
What does the Census say about the background of Ferlazzo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferlazzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Ferlazzo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (227 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ferlazzo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (5.3%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Ferlazzo (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 Ferlazzo mean?
A locational surname derived from the town of Ferlazzo in Sicily, Italy. 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 Ferlazzo (0.08 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 last name Ferlazzo?
Want to know how many people have the last name Ferlazzo? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.