2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Molfese
Of Italian origin, signifying someone from the town of Molfetta in Apulia.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Molfese. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Molfese 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Molfese in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Molfese, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Molfese
The surname Molfese has its origins in Italy, particularly in the southern regions of the country. It is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century.
One theory suggests that the name Molfese is derived from the Italian word "molfo," which means "damp" or "moist." This could indicate that the name was initially given to someone who lived in a damp or marshy area, or perhaps had some connection to water-related occupations.
Another interpretation is that the name Molfese may have originated from a place name, possibly a small town or village in southern Italy. In those times, it was common for people to take on surnames based on the place they were from or lived.
The earliest recorded instances of the Molfese surname can be traced back to historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries in the regions of Campania and Calabria. One notable example is Giovanni Battista Molfese, a renowned painter and architect from Naples who lived during the late 16th century.
In the 18th century, records show a Molfese family residing in the town of Gerace, in the province of Reggio Calabria. This branch of the Molfese family produced several notable figures, including Giuseppe Molfese (1720-1789), a respected jurist and legal scholar.
As the Molfese surname spread across Italy and beyond, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Molphese, Molphisi, and Molfisi. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of individual families.
One prominent individual bearing the Molfese surname was Antonio Molfese (1819-1890), an Italian politician and statesman who served as a member of the Italian Parliament during the late 19th century.
Another notable figure was Francesco Molfese (1874-1957), a renowned Italian mathematician and academic who made significant contributions to the field of geometry.
In more recent times, the Molfese surname has been carried by individuals such as Vincenzo Molfese (1902-1985), an Italian-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Molfese Foundation, dedicated to promoting education and cultural initiatives.
While the exact origins and meanings of the Molfese surname may remain subject to interpretation, its long history and presence across different regions of Italy and beyond attest to its enduring legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Molfese
Among Census respondents with the surname Molfese, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Molfese 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 Molfese surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino7.2% · 8
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Molfese
Molfese 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
+23 bearers (+23.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,987 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-12 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,216 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +23 bearers (+23.0%) | Up 13,987 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 12,216 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 Molfese 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 | #148,665 | -9.0% |
| Count | 123 | 111 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Molfese bearers went from 123 to 111 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 12,216 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #148,665.
FAQ
Molfese surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Molfese?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Molfese. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Molfese?
Molfese ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Molfese. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Molfese.
Has Molfese become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Molfese went from 123 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Molfese?
Among Census respondents with the surname Molfese, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Molfese in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Molfese appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Hispanic (7.2%), Black (1.8%). 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 Molfese (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 Molfese mean?
Of Italian origin, signifying someone from the town of Molfetta in Apulia. 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 Molfese (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 last name Molfese?
If you just want to know how many people are called Molfese, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.