2000
#70,906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 257
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Fornari
An occupational surname derived from the Italian word for "baker" or "oven worker".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 347 Americans carry the last name Fornari. That puts it at #69,752 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 987,765 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fornari 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
347
1 in 987,765
Census rank
#69,752
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
303
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 303 bearers of the surname Fornari in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 69752nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fornari, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fornari
The surname Fornari originated in Italy during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Italian word "fornaro," which means "baker" or "one who works with ovens." This occupation-based surname suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely bakers or worked in professions related to baking and ovens.
The name Fornari is most commonly found in the regions of Lombardy, Tuscany, and Emilia-Romagna. In these areas, the surname can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries, with variations in spelling such as Fornari, Fornaro, and Fornaris.
Historical records indicate that the Fornari name appeared in various documents and manuscripts throughout the centuries. One notable example is the mention of a Fornari family in the records of the Basilica di Santa Croce in Florence, dating back to the late 15th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Fornari was Giovanni Fornari, a renowned painter from Siena who lived between 1510 and 1559. His works can be found in various churches and galleries across Italy.
In the 16th century, Francesco Fornari (1560-1624) was a respected philosopher and scholar from Bologna. He wrote several influential works on logic and metaphysics, contributing to the intellectual discourse of his time.
During the 17th century, Prospero Fornari (1610-1678) was a prominent Italian architect and engineer from Cremona. He designed several notable buildings, including the Church of San Domenico in Cremona and the Palazzo Mozzanica in Lodi.
In the 18th century, Tommaso Fornari (1718-1796) was a renowned Italian mathematician and physicist from Genoa. He made significant contributions to the study of calculus and mechanics, and his works were widely recognized across Europe.
Another noteworthy figure was Giuseppe Fornari (1830-1915), an Italian politician and lawyer from Milan. He served as a member of the Italian Parliament and played a crucial role in shaping the legal and political landscape of his time.
The surname Fornari has a rich history rooted in the Italian regions of Lombardy, Tuscany, and Emilia-Romagna. It has been associated with various professions, including baking, painting, philosophy, architecture, mathematics, and politics, showcasing the diverse contributions of individuals bearing this name throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fornari
Among Census respondents with the surname Fornari, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Fornari 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 Fornari surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 275
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.6% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 11
- Two or more races1.0% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fornari
Fornari 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
#66,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 295
+38 bearers (+14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 3,975 places
2020
#69,752
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 303
+8 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 2,821 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #70,906 | 257 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #66,931 | 295 | 0.10 | +38 bearers (+14.8%) | Up 3,975 places |
| 2020 | #69,752 | 303 | 0.10 | +8 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 2,821 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 Fornari 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 | #66,931 | #69,752 | -4.2% |
| Count | 295 | 303 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.10 | 1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fornari bearers went from 295 to 303 (+2.7% change). The surname moved down 2,821 positions in the national ranking, going from #66,931 to #69,752.
FAQ
Fornari surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fornari?
Name Census estimates that about 347 living Americans carry the surname Fornari. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 987,765 residents.
How common is Fornari?
Fornari ranks #69,752 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 303 people with the surname Fornari. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (347), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Fornari.
Has Fornari become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fornari went from 295 recorded bearers to 303. That is an increase of 8 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #66,931 to #69,752.
What does the Census say about the background of Fornari?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fornari, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Fornari in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (275 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fornari appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Fornari (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 Fornari mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Italian word for "baker" or "oven worker". 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 Fornari (0.10 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 Fornari?
See how many people have the last name Fornari on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.