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

Safo, 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 Safo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Safo in America

Safo is the 111426th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Safo surname appeared 158 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 Safo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Safo 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 Safo

The surname SAFO is believed to have originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Latin word "sapphirus," meaning "sapphire," which was a highly prized gemstone. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked with or traded in sapphires.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SAFO can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Longobardo, a collection of legal documents from the Lombard era in Italy, dating back to the 8th century. In this document, there is a reference to a man named Petrus SAFO, who was a landowner in the region of Tuscany.

By the 11th century, the name had spread to other parts of Italy, including the region of Emilia-Romagna. In the book "Memorie Istoriche della Terra di Carpi," written in 1673 by Giovanni Battista Aleotti, there is a mention of a family with the surname SAFO living in the town of Carpi.

One notable individual with the surname SAFO was Giovanni SAFO, a renowned painter who lived in Florence during the 15th century. He was known for his frescoes and altarpieces depicting religious scenes, and his work can still be seen in various churches throughout Tuscany.

Another prominent figure was Andrea SAFO, a composer and organist who lived in Venice in the 16th century. He composed several masses and motets, and his music was highly regarded during his lifetime.

In the 17th century, there was a family of merchants and bankers with the surname SAFO who were based in the city of Genoa. One member of this family, Giacomo SAFO, was a prominent financier who helped fund various trade expeditions and commercial ventures.

The name SAFO also has connections to certain place names in Italy. For example, there is a small village called Safo in the province of Benevento, and it is possible that the surname may have derived from this location.

Throughout its history, the surname SAFO has been spelled in various ways, including Saffo, Saffio, and Saffi. However, the modern spelling of SAFO seems to have been standardized by the 18th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Safo

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

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 Safo 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 Safo 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 Safo was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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