2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sanfillippo
An Italian surname denoting someone descended from Phillip.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Sanfillippo. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sanfillippo 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
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Sanfillippo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sanfillippo, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sanfillippo
The surname Sanfillippo has its origins in Italy, specifically in the southern regions of the country. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, possibly as early as the 11th century. The name is derived from the combination of two words – "San" meaning "Saint" and "Filippo" meaning "Philip" in Italian.
One of the earliest records of the name Sanfillippo can be found in historical documents from the city of Naples, which was a prominent cultural and commercial center during the medieval period. The name is thought to have originated as a way of identifying individuals who lived near a church or religious site dedicated to Saint Philip.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Giacomo Sanfillippo was recorded as a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Palermo, Sicily. He was known for his successful trading endeavors and played a significant role in the economic development of the region.
The name Sanfillippo also appeared in various manuscripts and records from the 14th and 15th centuries, particularly in southern Italian cities such as Naples, Bari, and Catania. During this time, several families bearing the Sanfillippo surname held influential positions within the local nobility and clergy.
One of the earliest known individuals with the Sanfillippo surname was Antonio Sanfillippo, born in 1475 in the town of Agrigento, Sicily. He was a renowned scholar and philosopher who contributed significantly to the intellectual discourse of his time.
Another notable figure was Giulia Sanfillippo, born in 1520 in Naples. She was a celebrated poet and writer whose works were widely acclaimed during the Renaissance period.
In the 17th century, Vincenzo Sanfillippo, born in 1632 in Messina, Sicily, gained recognition as a skilled architect and engineer. He was responsible for the design and construction of several prominent buildings and structures across southern Italy.
As the centuries passed, the Sanfillippo surname continued to spread throughout Italy, with families bearing this name establishing themselves in various regions and contributing to various fields, including art, literature, and politics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sanfillippo
Among Census respondents with the surname Sanfillippo, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sanfillippo 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 Sanfillippo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 5
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sanfillippo
Sanfillippo 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+15 bearers (+14.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,179 places
2020
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-19 bearers (-16.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 13,300 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+14.9%) | Up 6,179 places |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -19 bearers (-16.4%) | Down 13,300 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 Sanfillippo 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 | #143,149 | #156,449 | -9.3% |
| Count | 116 | 97 | -16.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sanfillippo bearers went from 116 to 97 (-16.4% change). The surname moved down 13,300 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #156,449.
FAQ
Sanfillippo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sanfillippo?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Sanfillippo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Sanfillippo?
Sanfillippo ranks #156,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 97 people with the surname Sanfillippo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Sanfillippo.
Has Sanfillippo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sanfillippo went from 116 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 19 (-16.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Sanfillippo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sanfillippo, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (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 Sanfillippo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sanfillippo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Hispanic (5.2%), Two or More Races (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 Sanfillippo (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 Sanfillippo mean?
An Italian surname denoting someone descended from Phillip. 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 Sanfillippo (0.03 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 Sanfillippo?
Find out how many people have the last name Sanfillippo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.