2000
#7,342
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,180
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.55
Rare Last name
Sanfilippo
An Italian occupational surname referring to a shoemaker or one who repairs shoes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,452 Americans carry the last name Sanfilippo. That puts it at #8,164 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,989 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sanfilippo 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
4.5K
1 in 76,989
Census rank
#8,164
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,882 bearers of the surname Sanfilippo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8164th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sanfilippo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sanfilippo
The surname Sanfilippo originates from Italy, with its roots tracing back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian phrase "San Filippo," which translates to "Saint Philip." This suggests that the name may have been initially adopted by those living near a church or town dedicated to Saint Philip.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Sanfilippo surname can be found in the Sicilian town of Palermo, where a family bearing this name resided in the 14th century. Historical records from this period indicate that the Sanfilippo family held a prominent position within the local community.
During the Renaissance period, the Sanfilippo name began to spread throughout various regions of Italy. In the 15th century, a notable figure named Giovanni Sanfilippo was a respected scholar and theologian who taught at the University of Bologna.
As the centuries progressed, the Sanfilippo surname continued to gain prominence across Italy. In the 18th century, a wealthy merchant named Antonio Sanfilippo established a successful trading company in Naples, contributing significantly to the city's economic growth.
One of the most notable individuals bearing the Sanfilippo surname was Giuseppe Sanfilippo, a influential Italian lawyer and politician who lived from 1824 to 1898. He served as a member of the Italian Parliament and played a crucial role in drafting the country's legal codes during the unification of Italy.
Another prominent figure was Maria Sanfilippo, a renowned Italian opera singer born in 1870. She performed at some of the most prestigious opera houses in Europe, including La Scala in Milan, and was celebrated for her powerful soprano voice.
In the 20th century, the Sanfilippo surname gained international recognition through the achievements of Antonio Sanfilippo (1923-2001), an Italian-American businessman and philanthropist. He founded the Sanfilippo Foundation, which played a vital role in preserving and promoting Italian-American culture and heritage.
While the Sanfilippo surname has its roots in Italy, it has since spread across the globe, with families bearing this name now residing in various countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sanfilippo
Among Census respondents with the surname Sanfilippo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sanfilippo 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 Sanfilippo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 3,497
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 224
- Two or more races2.5% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 33
- Black or African American0.6% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sanfilippo
Sanfilippo 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
#7,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,173
-7 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Down 587 places
2020
#8,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,882
-291 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 235 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,342 | 4,180 | 1.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,929 | 4,173 | 1.41 | -7 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 587 places |
| 2020 | #8,164 | 3,882 | 1.30 | -291 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 235 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 Sanfilippo 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 | #7,929 | #8,164 | -3.0% |
| Count | 4,173 | 3,882 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.41 | 1.30 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sanfilippo bearers went from 4,173 to 3,882 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 235 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,929 to #8,164.
FAQ
Sanfilippo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sanfilippo?
Name Census estimates that about 4,452 living Americans carry the surname Sanfilippo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,989 residents.
How common is Sanfilippo?
Sanfilippo ranks #8,164 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 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 3,882 people with the surname Sanfilippo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,452), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 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 Sanfilippo.
Has Sanfilippo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sanfilippo went from 4,173 recorded bearers to 3,882. That is a decrease of 291 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,929 to #8,164.
What does the Census say about the background of Sanfilippo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sanfilippo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Sanfilippo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (3,497 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sanfilippo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (5.8%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Sanfilippo (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 Sanfilippo mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a shoemaker or one who repairs shoes. 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 Sanfilippo (1.30 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 common is the surname Sanfilippo?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Sanfilippo at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.