2000
#11,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,403
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Nappi
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who combs and cards wool or flax fibers for spinning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,566 Americans carry the last name Nappi. That puts it at #13,103 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,575 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nappi 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
2.6K
1 in 133,575
Census rank
#13,103
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,238 bearers of the surname Nappi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13103rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nappi, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nappi
The surname Nappi has its origins in Italy, specifically in the regions of Campania and Lazio. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, between the 10th and 13th centuries. The name is derived from the Latin word "napus," which means "turnip" or "small root vegetable."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Nappi surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Benedictine monastery of Cava de' Tirreni in Campania. This document, dated around the 11th century, mentions a certain "Petrus Nappi" who was a landowner in the area.
Another historical reference to the Nappi name is in the Libro Rosso di Capua, a manuscript from the 13th century that served as a register of feudal rights and obligations in the Principality of Capua. Here, the name "Nappi" is associated with several families holding fiefs in the region.
During the Renaissance period, the Nappi family gained prominence in the city of Naples. One notable figure was Gian Vincenzo Nappi, a lawyer and historian who lived from 1538 to 1614. He authored several works on the history and legal customs of Naples.
In the 17th century, the Nappi surname can be found in various records from the Papal States, particularly in the areas around Rome. One example is the artist Francesco Nappi, who was born in 1614 and is known for his religious paintings and frescoes in Roman churches.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe Nappi, born in 1804 in Naples, was a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Italian parliament during the early years of the unified Italian state.
Another notable figure with the Nappi surname was the Italian opera singer Giulia Nappi, born in 1860. She performed in various opera houses across Europe and was particularly acclaimed for her roles in works by Verdi and Puccini.
The Nappi surname has also been associated with several place names in Italy, such as the town of Nappi in the province of Salerno and the village of Nappoli in the province of Avellino. These place names likely derived from the same root as the surname, further reinforcing its connection to the regions of Campania and Lazio.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nappi
Among Census respondents with the surname Nappi, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Nappi 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 Nappi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 2,049
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 115
- Two or more races2.0% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nappi
Nappi 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
#13,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,292
-111 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 1,375 places
2020
#13,103
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,238
-54 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 203 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,931 | 2,403 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,306 | 2,292 | 0.78 | -111 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 1,375 places |
| 2020 | #13,103 | 2,238 | 0.75 | -54 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 203 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 Nappi 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 | #13,306 | #13,103 | 1.5% |
| Count | 2,292 | 2,238 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.75 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nappi bearers went from 2,292 to 2,238 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 203 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,306 to #13,103.
FAQ
Nappi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nappi?
Name Census estimates that about 2,566 living Americans carry the surname Nappi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,575 residents.
How common is Nappi?
Nappi ranks #13,103 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,238 people with the surname Nappi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,566), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Nappi.
Has Nappi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nappi went from 2,292 recorded bearers to 2,238. That is a decrease of 54 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,306 to #13,103.
What does the Census say about the background of Nappi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nappi, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) 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 Nappi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (2,049 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nappi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (5.1%), 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 Nappi (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 Nappi mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who combs and cards wool or flax fibers for spinning. 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 Nappi (0.75 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 share the surname Nappi?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.