2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ferraina
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly Italian and derived from the word "ferro" meaning iron.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Ferraina. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ferraina 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Ferraina in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferraina, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ferraina
The surname Ferraina has its origins in Italy, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "ferraro," which translates to "blacksmith" or "ironworker." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely involved in metalworking trades.
Ferraina is thought to have first emerged in the region of Piedmont, located in northwestern Italy. The name may have its roots in the town of Ferrania, a small comune in the province of Vercelli. This area was known for its metalworking and mining activities during the Middle Ages, which could have led to the occupational surname.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ferraina can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Cava de' Tirreni monastery in Campania. This codex, compiled in the 11th century, includes references to individuals with the surname Ferraina, indicating its existence during that time period.
In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the name Ferraina was Guglielmo Ferraina, a Franciscan friar and theologian from Piedmont. He was born around 1230 and served as a lecturer at the University of Paris, where he gained recognition for his contributions to the field of theology.
Another prominent individual with the surname Ferraina was Giovanni Battista Ferraina, an Italian painter and architect who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Born in Genoa in 1574, he is renowned for his fresco work in various churches and palaces throughout Italy.
During the Renaissance period, the name Ferraina was associated with the Ferraina family, a noble clan from the city of Novara in Piedmont. One member of this family, Galeazzo Ferraina, served as a diplomat and ambassador for the Duchy of Milan in the 15th century.
In the 19th century, a notable figure with the surname Ferraina was Cesare Ferraina, an Italian military officer and politician. Born in 1819 in Piedmont, he played a significant role in the Risorgimento, the movement for Italian unification, and later served as a member of the Italian parliament.
Throughout history, the surname Ferraina has maintained a strong presence in Italy, particularly in the regions of Piedmont and Liguria, where it originated. While the name has evolved over time, with various spelling variations, its connection to the metalworking and ironworking trades remains a central part of its etymology and historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ferraina
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferraina, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ferraina 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 Ferraina surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ferraina
Ferraina 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-12 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,262 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 962 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 21,262 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 962 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 Ferraina 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 | #152,628 | #153,590 | -0.6% |
| Count | 107 | 104 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ferraina bearers went from 107 to 104 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 962 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #153,590.
FAQ
Ferraina surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ferraina?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Ferraina. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Ferraina?
Ferraina ranks #153,590 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 104 people with the surname Ferraina. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), 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 Ferraina.
Has Ferraina become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ferraina went from 107 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Ferraina?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferraina, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Ferraina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ferraina appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Ferraina (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 Ferraina mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly Italian and derived from the word "ferro" meaning iron. 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 Ferraina (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 Ferraina?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.