2000
#8,561
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,543
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.31
Rare Last name
Giannini
Derived from the Italian masculine given name Gianni, a diminutive form of Giovanni, the Italian equivalent of John.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,643 Americans carry the last name Giannini. That puts it at #9,744 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,086 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Giannini 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Giannini with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 94,086
Census rank
#9,744
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,177 bearers of the surname Giannini in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9744th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Giannini, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Giannini
The surname Giannini is of Italian origin, deriving from the given name Giovanni, which itself originates from the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious." The suffix "-ini" indicates a diminutive form, suggesting an intimate or affectionate version of Giovanni.
Giannini is believed to have emerged as a surname in the 12th or 13th century, a period when hereditary surnames were becoming more widespread in Italy. The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, and Lazio, where it is still commonly found today.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Giannini appears in the "Libro d'Oro" (Book of Gold) of the Republic of Venice, a historical record of noble families dating back to the 13th century. The name is also found in various medieval documents and manuscripts from various Italian cities and regions.
In the 14th century, a notable bearer of the name was Guittone Giannini, a Florentine poet and priest who was a precursor to the Italian literary Renaissance. His works, including the "Canzone di Rinunzia al Mondo," were influential in the development of Italian vernacular literature.
During the Renaissance period, the Giannini family produced several notable artists and intellectuals, including the sculptor and architect Gian Lorenzo Giannini (1508-1575), who worked on various projects in Rome and Florence.
In the 18th century, the Giannini name gained prominence in the field of music with the composer Pietro Giannini (1737-1805), whose operas and sacred works were performed throughout Italy.
Another notable bearer of the name was the Italian politician and statesman Vincenzo Giannini (1799-1867), who served as the Minister of Finance and later as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Sardinia in the mid-19th century.
The 20th century saw several prominent individuals with the Giannini surname, including the American banker Amadeo Peter Giannini (1870-1949), who founded the Bank of America, and the Italian film director Luigi Giannini (1897-1966), known for his neorealist works such as "Love Song" (1955).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Giannini
Among Census respondents with the surname Giannini, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Giannini 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 Giannini surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 2,844
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 227
- Two or more races2.0% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 30
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Giannini
Giannini 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
#9,301
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,499
-44 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Down 740 places
2020
#9,744
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,177
-322 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 443 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,561 | 3,543 | 1.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,301 | 3,499 | 1.19 | -44 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 740 places |
| 2020 | #9,744 | 3,177 | 1.06 | -322 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 443 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 Giannini 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 | #9,301 | #9,744 | -4.8% |
| Count | 3,499 | 3,177 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.19 | 1.06 | -10.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Giannini bearers went from 3,499 to 3,177 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 443 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,301 to #9,744.
FAQ
Giannini surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Giannini?
Name Census estimates that about 3,643 living Americans carry the surname Giannini. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,086 residents.
How common is Giannini?
Giannini ranks #9,744 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,177 people with the surname Giannini. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,643), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Giannini.
Has Giannini become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Giannini went from 3,499 recorded bearers to 3,177. That is a decrease of 322 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,301 to #9,744.
What does the Census say about the background of Giannini?
Among Census respondents with the surname Giannini, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) 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 Giannini in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (2,844 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Giannini appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Hispanic (7.1%), 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 Giannini (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 Giannini mean?
Derived from the Italian masculine given name Gianni, a diminutive form of Giovanni, the Italian equivalent of John. 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 Giannini (1.06 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 Giannini?
See how many people have the surname Giannini on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.