2000
#26,361
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 871
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.32
Rare Last name
Gianni
Italian variant of John, derived from the Greek meaning "God is gracious".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,104 Americans carry the last name Gianni. That puts it at #26,649 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 310,466 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gianni 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
1.1K
1 in 310,466
Census rank
#26,649
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
963
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 963 bearers of the surname Gianni in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 26649th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gianni, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gianni
The surname Gianni is of Italian origin, derived from the given name Giovanni, which itself comes from the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "Graced by God". The name Gianni can be traced back to medieval Italy, particularly in regions such as Tuscany and Piedmont.
In the 13th century, the use of surnames became more widespread in Italy, and the surname Gianni emerged as a patronymic name, indicating the son of Giovanni. It was often written as "de' Gianni" or "di Gianni" in early records, reflecting the Italian naming conventions of the time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Gianni can be found in the Florentine document "Libro di Montaperti" from 1260, which mentions a certain "Gianni di Gherardo". This suggests that the name was already in use in the 13th century Florentine Republic.
During the Renaissance, the Gianni family played a notable role in the artistic and cultural life of Florence. The painter Gianni di Francesco Cittadini, born in 1434, was a prominent figure in the Florentine art scene, known for his frescoes in the Basilica of Santa Croce.
Another significant bearer of the surname was the humanist scholar Gianni Giannozzo Manetti, who lived from 1396 to 1459. He was a renowned figure in the Florentine intellectual circles and made important contributions to the study of ancient Greek and Roman literature.
In the 16th century, the Gianni family had a strong presence in the city of Siena, where they were involved in the banking and textile industries. One notable member was Gianni di Tommaso Gianni, a wealthy merchant and banker born in 1524.
The surname Gianni also has connections to various place names in Italy, such as the town of Gianni in the province of Palermo, Sicily, and the village of Gianni in the province of Trapani, also in Sicily. These place names are likely derived from the personal name Gianni or its variants.
Throughout history, several other notable individuals have borne the surname Gianni, including the Italian composer Vittorio Gianni (1886-1957), the Italian-American actor and singer Gianni Russo (born 1943), and the fashion designer Gianni Versace (1946-1997), founder of the renowned Versace fashion house.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gianni
Among Census respondents with the surname Gianni, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gianni 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 Gianni surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 849
- Hispanic or Latino8.9% · 86
- Two or more races2.0% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.3% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gianni
Gianni 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
#25,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 988
+117 bearers (+13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.33
Rank movement Up 1,246 places
2020
#26,649
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 963
-25 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.32
Rank movement Down 1,534 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #26,361 | 871 | 0.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #25,115 | 988 | 0.33 | +117 bearers (+13.4%) | Up 1,246 places |
| 2020 | #26,649 | 963 | 0.32 | -25 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 1,534 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 Gianni 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 | #25,115 | #26,649 | -6.1% |
| Count | 988 | 963 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.33 | 0.32 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gianni bearers went from 988 to 963 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 1,534 positions in the national ranking, going from #25,115 to #26,649.
FAQ
Gianni surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gianni?
Name Census estimates that about 1,104 living Americans carry the surname Gianni. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 310,466 residents.
How common is Gianni?
Gianni ranks #26,649 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.32 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 963 people with the surname Gianni. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,104), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.32 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 Gianni.
Has Gianni become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gianni went from 988 recorded bearers to 963. That is a decrease of 25 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #25,115 to #26,649.
What does the Census say about the background of Gianni?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gianni, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Gianni in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (849 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gianni appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (8.9%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Gianni (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 Gianni mean?
Italian variant of John, derived from the Greek meaning "God is gracious". 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 Gianni (0.32 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 Gianni?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.