Find out how popular the last name Romani is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Romani.

Romani, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Romani surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Romani in America

Romani is the 20574th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Romani surname appeared 1,288 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Romani.

We can also compare 2010 data for Romani to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Romani

The surname Romani is believed to have originated in Italy during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Italian word "romano," which means "Roman" or "from Rome." This suggests that the name was initially associated with people who either lived in or were from the city of Rome or the surrounding region.

One of the earliest known records of the Romani surname can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Longobardo, a collection of documents from the Lombard period in Italy, dating back to the 8th century. The name appears in various forms, such as "Romanus" and "Romanius," indicating its ancient roots.

During the Renaissance period, the Romani surname gained prominence in Italy, particularly in Florence and other parts of Tuscany. Several notable individuals bearing this surname emerged during this time, including Filippo Romani (1495-1575), a renowned painter and architect who contributed to the design of the Palazzo Pitti in Florence.

In the 16th century, the Romani family established themselves as wealthy merchants and bankers in the city of Lucca. One of the most prominent members of this family was Vincenzo Romani (1554-1612), a successful banker and patron of the arts who commissioned works from artists like Caravaggio.

Another notable figure with the Romani surname was Giovanni Romani (1765-1837), an Italian composer and music theorist who was highly regarded for his operas and sacred works. He was born in Palermo, Sicily, and his compositions were widely performed throughout Italy during his lifetime.

The Romani surname also spread beyond Italy and can be found in other parts of Europe, including France and Spain. In France, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in the 13th century, when a Romani family settled in the region of Provence.

Over the centuries, the Romani surname has been associated with various place names and locations, such as Romano d'Ezzelino, a town in the Veneto region of Italy, and Romanò, a commune in the province of Pavia, Lombardy. These place names likely contributed to the spread and adoption of the surname in different regions.

While the Romani surname has a rich history and can be traced back to ancient times, it is important to note that this report focuses solely on the surname itself and does not include information on its usage as a first or given name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Romani

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Romani.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Romani was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Romani has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Romani was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Romani, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!