2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Maffettone
An Italian surname derived from the diminutive of "Maffia" meaning little Matthew.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Maffettone. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maffettone 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Maffettone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maffettone, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maffettone
The surname Maffettone is of Italian origin, originating from the region of Campania in Southern Italy. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "maffetta," which means "dense fog" or "mist." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname or a topographic name referring to someone who lived in an area prone to dense fog or mist.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Maffettone can be traced back to the 16th and 17th centuries in various historical records and documents from the region of Campania. One notable example is a record from the town of Nola, near Naples, where a certain Giovanni Maffettone is mentioned in a land deed dated 1612.
In the 18th century, the Maffettone surname appears in several parish records and census documents from the town of Acerra, located in the metropolitan area of Naples. One notable individual from this time period is Domenico Maffettone, born in Acerra in 1732, who was a respected local landowner and farmer.
During the 19th century, the Maffettone name spread to other parts of Italy, with some families settling in the northern regions. One prominent figure was Luigi Maffettone (1825-1898), a lawyer and politician from Milan who served as a member of the Italian Parliament.
In more recent history, one of the most notable individuals with the Maffettone surname was Sebastiano Maffettone (1943-2017), an Italian philosopher and political scientist. He was a professor at the University of Naples and authored several influential works on ethics, political theory, and social justice.
Other individuals with the Maffettone surname who have made significant contributions include Antonio Maffettone (1907-1980), an Italian sculptor and artist known for his works in bronze and marble, and Gennaro Maffettone (1888-1964), a celebrated chef and restaurateur who owned a renowned establishment in Naples in the early 20th century.
While the Maffettone surname is not among the most common Italian surnames, it has a rich history and cultural significance rooted in the traditions and heritage of the Campania region of Southern Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maffettone
Among Census respondents with the surname Maffettone, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Maffettone 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 Maffettone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maffettone
Maffettone 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+5 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,357 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,888 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 4,357 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,888 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 Maffettone 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 | #141,140 | #145,028 | -2.8% |
| Count | 118 | 116 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maffettone bearers went from 118 to 116 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,888 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #145,028.
FAQ
Maffettone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maffettone?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Maffettone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Maffettone?
Maffettone ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Maffettone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Maffettone.
Has Maffettone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maffettone went from 118 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Maffettone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maffettone, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Maffettone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maffettone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (6.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Maffettone (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 Maffettone mean?
An Italian surname derived from the diminutive of "Maffia" meaning little Matthew. 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 Maffettone (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 are called Maffettone?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Maffettone at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.