2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Salfi
A derivative of an Arabic word meaning traveler or itinerant merchant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Salfi. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Salfi 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Salfi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Salfi, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Salfi
The surname SALFI is believed to have originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Latin word "salfus," which means "willow tree." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near or worked with willow trees.
The earliest known recorded use of the surname SALFI dates back to the 13th century in the region of Emilia-Romagna, specifically in the city of Bologna. It is found in a document from 1278, which mentions a certain Guglielmo SALFI as a landowner in the area.
In the following centuries, the name spread to other parts of Italy, such as Tuscany and Veneto. One notable example is Niccolò SALFI (1460-1529), a renowned painter from Florence who was commissioned to create frescoes for several churches in the city.
During the Renaissance period, the SALFI name also appears in historical records related to the Republic of Venice. Antonio SALFI (1522-1591) was a prominent merchant and diplomat who represented the Republic in negotiations with other Italian states and the Ottoman Empire.
In the 17th century, the SALFI family established itself in the Kingdom of Naples. Giuseppe SALFI (1628-1698) was a respected jurist and served as a judge in the city of Naples for several decades.
Moving into the 18th century, the name SALFI gained recognition in the field of literature. Pietro SALFI (1734-1805) was an Italian writer and poet who authored several works that explored themes of love, nature, and social commentary.
As the name spread throughout Italy over the centuries, various spelling variations emerged, such as Salfi, Salfy, and Salphy. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained tied to the willow tree and its Latin root.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salfi
Among Census respondents with the surname Salfi, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Salfi 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 Salfi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.1% · 102
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Salfi
Salfi 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
+5 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,190 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-18 bearers (-14.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,540 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 4,190 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-14.6%) | Down 16,540 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 Salfi 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 | #152,989 | -12.1% |
| Count | 123 | 105 | -14.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Salfi bearers went from 123 to 105 (-14.6% change). The surname moved down 16,540 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #152,989.
FAQ
Salfi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Salfi?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Salfi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Salfi?
Salfi ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Salfi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Salfi.
Has Salfi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Salfi went from 123 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 18 (-14.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Salfi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Salfi, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Salfi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Salfi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.1%), Two or More Races (1.9%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Salfi (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 Salfi mean?
A derivative of an Arabic word meaning traveler or itinerant merchant. 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 Salfi (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 are called Salfi?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Salfi on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.