2000
#108,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 152
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Rafanelli
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "rafano" meaning radish or horseradish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 164 Americans carry the last name Rafanelli. That puts it at #125,732 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,089,965 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rafanelli 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
164
1 in 2,089,965
Census rank
#125,732
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
143
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 143 bearers of the surname Rafanelli in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 125732nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rafanelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rafanelli
The surname RAFANELLI originates from Italy and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Italian word "rafano," which means radish. This suggests that the name may have been initially used to identify someone who cultivated or sold radishes.
The earliest recorded instances of the RAFANELLI surname can be found in various medieval documents from the regions of Tuscany and Umbria. In the year 1284, a man named Giacomo RAFANELLI was listed as a landowner in the city of Perugia.
During the Renaissance period, the RAFANELLI name appeared in several notable works of literature and art. In Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, written in the early 14th century, a character named Rafanello is mentioned in the Purgatorio section. Additionally, a fresco painted by Pietro Perugino in the late 15th century depicts a member of the RAFANELLI family.
One of the most prominent individuals with the RAFANELLI surname was Francesco RAFANELLI, a renowned sculptor who lived from 1501 to 1567. He was commissioned by Pope Paul III to create several statues for the Vatican, including the famous "Fountain of the Tortoises" in the Belvedere Courtyard.
Another notable bearer of the RAFANELLI name was Girolamo RAFANELLI, a 16th-century mathematician and astronomer from Florence. He published several influential works on celestial mechanics and contributed to the advancement of astronomical knowledge during the Scientific Revolution.
In the 18th century, Giuseppe RAFANELLI (1715-1792) was a celebrated composer and violinist who served as the maestro di cappella at the court of the Dukes of Modena. His compositions, including operas and sacred music, were widely performed throughout Italy during his lifetime.
During the Italian Unification movement of the 19th century, a politician named Alessandro RAFANELLI (1823-1897) played a significant role in the fight for independence. He served as a deputy in the first Italian Parliament and was a staunch advocate for the unification of the peninsula under a single government.
The RAFANELLI surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Italy, such as the village of Rafanelli in the province of Siena, and the Rafanelli Castle in the town of Gubbio, both of which date back to the medieval era.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rafanelli
Among Census respondents with the surname Rafanelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Rafanelli 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 Rafanelli surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.9% · 140
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rafanelli
Rafanelli 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
#120,901
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
-9 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 12,748 places
2020
#125,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 4,831 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #108,153 | 152 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #120,901 | 143 | 0.05 | -9 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 12,748 places |
| 2020 | #125,732 | 143 | 0.05 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 4,831 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 Rafanelli 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 | #120,901 | #125,732 | -4.0% |
| Count | 143 | 143 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rafanelli bearers went from 143 to 143 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 4,831 positions in the national ranking, going from #120,901 to #125,732.
FAQ
Rafanelli surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rafanelli?
Name Census estimates that about 164 living Americans carry the surname Rafanelli. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,089,965 residents.
How common is Rafanelli?
Rafanelli ranks #125,732 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 143 people with the surname Rafanelli. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (164), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Rafanelli.
Has Rafanelli become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rafanelli went from 143 recorded bearers to 143. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #120,901 to #125,732.
What does the Census say about the background of Rafanelli?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rafanelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Rafanelli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.9% (140 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rafanelli appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.9%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Rafanelli (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 Rafanelli mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "rafano" meaning radish or horseradish. 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 Rafanelli (0.05 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 Americans have the surname Rafanelli?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.