2000
#54,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 354
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Scarpaci
Italian surname derived from "scarpazza" meaning "old shoe" or "worn-out shoe".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 459 Americans carry the last name Scarpaci. That puts it at #55,400 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 746,741 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scarpaci 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
459
1 in 746,741
Census rank
#55,400
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
400
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 400 bearers of the surname Scarpaci in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 55400th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scarpaci, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scarpaci
The surname Scarpaci has its origins in Italy, specifically in the region of Sicily. It is believed to have emerged during the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "scarpa," meaning "shoe," and the suffix "-aci," which is a common patronymic ending in Sicily. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a shoemaker or someone associated with the trade of shoemaking.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Scarpaci can be found in the Sicilian town of Palermo, where a family by that name is mentioned in a municipal document from the late 15th century. The name also appears in various historical records from other Sicilian towns and villages, such as Messina and Catania, indicating its widespread presence in the region.
In the late 16th century, a notable figure named Antonio Scarpaci (born around 1550) gained recognition as a skilled architect and engineer in Palermo. He was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings, including the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Catena and the Palazzo Abatellis.
Another prominent individual with the surname Scarpaci was Francesco Scarpaci (1726-1798), a respected lawyer and legal scholar from Palermo. He authored several influential works on Sicilian law and served as a judge in the city's court system.
During the 19th century, a number of Scarpaci families emigrated from Sicily to other parts of Italy and abroad, including the United States. One of these emigrants was Giuseppe Scarpaci (1832-1911), who settled in New Orleans, Louisiana, and established a successful business importing Sicilian wines and olive oil.
In the early 20th century, Vincenzo Scarpaci (1877-1958) was a prominent Sicilian politician and member of the Italian Parliament. He was actively involved in advocating for the rights and interests of Sicilian farmers and agricultural workers.
Throughout its history, the surname Scarpaci has maintained a strong connection to its Sicilian roots, with many families still residing in the region today. While the name has spread to various parts of the world due to migration, its origins can be traced back to the shoemaking tradition of medieval Sicily.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scarpaci
Among Census respondents with the surname Scarpaci, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Scarpaci 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 Scarpaci surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 380
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 5
- Two or more races0.5% · 2
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scarpaci
Scarpaci 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
#50,362
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 415
+61 bearers (+17.2%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Up 4,160 places
2020
#55,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 400
-15 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 5,038 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #54,522 | 354 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #50,362 | 415 | 0.14 | +61 bearers (+17.2%) | Up 4,160 places |
| 2020 | #55,400 | 400 | 0.13 | -15 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 5,038 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 Scarpaci 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 | #50,362 | #55,400 | -10.0% |
| Count | 415 | 400 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.13 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scarpaci bearers went from 415 to 400 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 5,038 positions in the national ranking, going from #50,362 to #55,400.
FAQ
Scarpaci surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scarpaci?
Name Census estimates that about 459 living Americans carry the surname Scarpaci. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 746,741 residents.
How common is Scarpaci?
Scarpaci ranks #55,400 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 400 people with the surname Scarpaci. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (459), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Scarpaci.
Has Scarpaci become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scarpaci went from 415 recorded bearers to 400. That is a decrease of 15 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #50,362 to #55,400.
What does the Census say about the background of Scarpaci?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scarpaci, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%). 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 Scarpaci in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (380 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scarpaci appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Hispanic (3.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%). 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 Scarpaci (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 Scarpaci mean?
Italian surname derived from "scarpazza" meaning "old shoe" or "worn-out shoe". 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 Scarpaci (0.13 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 have the surname Scarpaci?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.