2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Giustiniani
An Italian surname derived from the root word "giusto", meaning "just" or "righteous".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Giustiniani. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Giustiniani 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Giustiniani in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Giustiniani, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Giustiniani
The surname Giustiniani has its origins in Italy, tracing back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Italian personal name Giustino, which itself comes from the Latin name Justinus, meaning "just" or "fair." The name Giustiniani is a patronymic form, indicating descent from an ancestor named Giustino.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Giustiniani name can be found in the Republic of Venice, where the Giustiniani family was a prominent noble dynasty. They were influential in the political and economic spheres of the Venetian Republic, holding important positions such as Doge (the chief magistrate) and ambassadors.
In the 13th century, a branch of the Giustiniani family settled in the island of Chios, which was then part of the Venetian maritime empire. The family played a significant role in the governance and commerce of the island, and they established their own principality, known as the Giustiniani Lordship of Chios, which lasted until the mid-16th century.
The Giustiniani name is also associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most renowned is Lorenzo Giustiniani (1380-1456), a Venetian theologian, scholar, and patriarch of Venice. He was a prominent figure in the Catholic Church and played a crucial role in the Council of Ferrara-Florence, which aimed to reconcile the Eastern and Western churches.
Another notable figure is Niccolò Giustiniani (1537-1617), a Genoese merchant and explorer. He is known for his travel accounts and descriptions of the Silk Road trade routes, which provided valuable information about the cultures and civilizations of Central Asia and the Middle East.
In the 16th century, the Giustiniani family had a presence in Spain, where they were involved in the colonial administration and trade with the Americas. One notable member was Gaspar Giustiniani (1556-1637), a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Cuba from 1608 to 1613.
The Giustiniani name can also be found in other parts of Europe, such as France and Germany. In France, the name was sometimes spelled as Justiniani or Justinian, while in Germany, it took the form of Justinian or Justinianus.
Throughout history, the Giustiniani surname has been associated with various place names and older spellings. For example, the town of Giustiniana in Sicily is believed to have been named after the Giustiniani family, who held lands in the area. Additionally, the name has been recorded with different spellings, such as Justinian, Justiniano, and Justiniani, reflecting regional variations and language influences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Giustiniani
Among Census respondents with the surname Giustiniani, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Giustiniani 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 Giustiniani surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 110
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Giustiniani
Giustiniani 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
#122,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
+34 bearers (+31.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 20,505 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-26 bearers (-18.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,443 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #122,314 | 141 | 0.05 | +34 bearers (+31.8%) | Up 20,505 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -26 bearers (-18.4%) | Down 23,443 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 Giustiniani 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 | #122,314 | #145,757 | -19.2% |
| Count | 141 | 115 | -18.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Giustiniani bearers went from 141 to 115 (-18.4% change). The surname moved down 23,443 positions in the national ranking, going from #122,314 to #145,757.
FAQ
Giustiniani surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Giustiniani?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Giustiniani. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Giustiniani?
Giustiniani ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Giustiniani. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Giustiniani.
Has Giustiniani become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Giustiniani went from 141 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 26 (-18.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #122,314 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Giustiniani?
Among Census respondents with the surname Giustiniani, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Giustiniani in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Giustiniani appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Two or More Races (1.7%), Black (0.9%). 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 Giustiniani (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 Giustiniani mean?
An Italian surname derived from the root word "giusto", meaning "just" or "righteous". 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 Giustiniani (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 people have the surname Giustiniani?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.