2000
#116,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Garifo
A surname of Italian origin possibly derived from a place name or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 144 Americans carry the last name Garifo. That puts it at #137,553 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,380,238 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garifo 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
144
1 in 2,380,238
Census rank
#137,553
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
126
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 126 bearers of the surname Garifo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 137553rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garifo, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garifo
The surname GARIFO has its origins in Italy, specifically in the region of Tuscany, where it is believed to have emerged during the 13th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Italian word "garifa," which means "strife" or "quarrel," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone with a combative or confrontational nature.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the GARIFO surname can be found in the medieval records of Florence, where a certain Giovanni Garifo was documented as a merchant in the year 1287. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
During the Renaissance period, the GARIFO name gained some prominence in the arts and literature. Notably, Antonio Garifo (1480-1557) was a renowned poet and humanist from Ferrara, whose works were widely celebrated for their lyrical beauty and philosophical depth.
In the 17th century, the GARIFO name appears in connection with the Venetian nobility. A certain Marco Garifo (1612-1678) was a prominent aristocrat and landowner who held significant political influence in the Venetian Republic.
As the GARIFO family spread across Italy, variations in spelling emerged, such as Garifo, Garifi, and Garifi. One notable figure from this period was Francesco Garifi (1720-1795), a Sicilian philosopher and theologian who made significant contributions to the intellectual discourse of his time.
In the 19th century, the GARIFO name gained some recognition in the field of medicine. Giuseppe Garifo (1825-1892) was a respected physician and researcher from Naples, known for his pioneering work in the treatment of infectious diseases.
Throughout its history, the GARIFO surname has been associated with various notable individuals, such as the 20th-century Italian writer Mario Garifo (1901-1971), whose literary works explored themes of social justice and political activism.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garifo
Among Census respondents with the surname Garifo, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Garifo 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 Garifo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.2% · 125
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garifo
Garifo 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
#121,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
+3 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 5,467 places
2020
#137,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
-16 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,963 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,123 | 139 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #121,590 | 142 | 0.05 | +3 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 5,467 places |
| 2020 | #137,553 | 126 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 15,963 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 Garifo 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 | #121,590 | #137,553 | -13.1% |
| Count | 142 | 126 | -11.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -15.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garifo bearers went from 142 to 126 (-11.3% change). The surname moved down 15,963 positions in the national ranking, going from #121,590 to #137,553.
FAQ
Garifo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garifo?
Name Census estimates that about 144 living Americans carry the surname Garifo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,380,238 residents.
How common is Garifo?
Garifo ranks #137,553 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 126 people with the surname Garifo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (144), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Garifo.
Has Garifo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garifo went from 142 recorded bearers to 126. That is a decrease of 16 (-11.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #121,590 to #137,553.
What does the Census say about the background of Garifo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garifo, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Garifo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.2% (125 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garifo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Garifo (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 Garifo mean?
A surname of Italian origin possibly derived from a place name or occupation. 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 Garifo (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Garifo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.