2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gelfo
An Italian surname likely derived from a nickname meaning "handsome" or "good-looking".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Gelfo. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gelfo 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Gelfo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gelfo, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gelfo
The surname Gelfo is of Italian origin, tracing its roots back to the 14th century in the southern regions of Italy, particularly in the regions of Campania and Calabria. The name is believed to have derived from the medieval Italian word "gelfo," which translates to "mulberry tree."
In the early 15th century, records indicate the presence of the Gelfo family in the town of Sorrento, located along the picturesque Amalfi Coast. One of the earliest known bearers of this surname was Giovanni Gelfo, a wealthy merchant who lived in Sorrento during the late 1400s. His name appears in several local archives and documents from that era.
The Gelfo name can also be found in historical records from the nearby city of Naples, where a branch of the family settled in the 16th century. Notably, Giulio Gelfo, a renowned painter born in 1540, achieved recognition for his religious works and frescoes adorning various churches in Naples.
As the Gelfo family expanded throughout the centuries, they established themselves in other parts of Italy, including the regions of Puglia and Sicily. In the 18th century, Tommaso Gelfo, a scholar and philosopher born in Palermo in 1712, gained prominence for his writings on ethics and moral philosophy.
The Gelfo surname has also been associated with several notable individuals in more recent history. One such figure was Nicola Gelfo, an Italian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Italian Parliament in the late 19th century, born in 1839 and died in 1912.
Another prominent bearer of the Gelfo name was Giuseppe Gelfo, a celebrated Italian actor and director who graced the stages of Italy during the early 20th century. Born in 1875 in Naples, he was renowned for his performances in various theatrical productions and is considered a significant figure in the history of Italian theatre.
While the Gelfo surname may have evolved and spread across different regions over time, its origins can be traced back to the picturesque landscapes of southern Italy, where the mulberry tree once flourished, forever intertwining the name with the rich cultural heritage of the Italian peninsula.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gelfo
Among Census respondents with the surname Gelfo, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gelfo 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 Gelfo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino8.7% · 9
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gelfo
Gelfo 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,652 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-20 bearers (-16.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 17,733 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,652 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -20 bearers (-16.3%) | Down 17,733 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 Gelfo 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 | #136,449 | #154,182 | -13.0% |
| Count | 123 | 103 | -16.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gelfo bearers went from 123 to 103 (-16.3% change). The surname moved down 17,733 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #154,182.
FAQ
Gelfo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gelfo?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Gelfo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Gelfo?
Gelfo ranks #154,182 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 103 people with the surname Gelfo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), 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 Gelfo.
Has Gelfo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gelfo went from 123 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 20 (-16.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Gelfo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gelfo, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Gelfo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gelfo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Hispanic (8.7%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Gelfo (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 Gelfo mean?
An Italian surname likely derived from a nickname meaning "handsome" or "good-looking". 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 Gelfo (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 are called Gelfo?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Gelfo? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.