2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schaffino
An Italian surname derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "sheep" or "shepherd".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Schaffino. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schaffino 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Schaffino in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaffino, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.6%. The next largest groups are White (14.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schaffino
The surname Schaffino has its roots in the Italian region of Piedmont, particularly in the areas around Turin and Cuneo. The name is believed to have originated in the late 14th or early 15th century, derived from the Italian word "scaffino," which means a small boat or skiff.
This connection to watercraft suggests that the Schaffino family may have been associated with maritime activities or lived near a body of water. The earliest recorded instances of the name were found in village records and tax rolls from the late 15th century, often spelled as "Scaffino" or "Scafino."
One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Giovanni Schaffino, a fisherman born in Cuneo around 1480. Historical records also mention a Pietrino Schaffino, a boat builder from Turin who lived in the mid-16th century.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various legal documents and property records from the towns of Moncalieri and Chieri, near Turin. A notable figure from this era was Antonio Schaffino, a merchant and landowner born in Moncalieri in 1625.
As the Schaffino family spread throughout Piedmont and beyond, variations in spelling emerged, such as "Scafino," "Scaffino," and "Schaffini." In the 18th century, a branch of the family settled in the town of Savona, on the Ligurian coast. One prominent individual from this lineage was Girolamo Schaffino, a naval officer who served in the Sardinian Navy during the late 1700s.
Another noteworthy figure with this surname was Alessandro Schaffino, a lawyer and legal scholar born in Turin in 1789. He authored several influential works on Italian civil law and served as a judge in the Piedmontese courts during the early 19th century.
The 19th century also saw the Schaffino name appear in various regions of Italy, with families settling in cities like Milan, Genoa, and Naples. One example is Giuseppe Schaffino, a successful businessman and philanthropist from Naples, who lived from 1820 to 1892.
While the Schaffino surname has its origins in Piedmont and was initially associated with maritime activities, its bearers have made significant contributions in various fields over the centuries, including law, commerce, and military service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schaffino
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaffino, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.6%. The next largest groups are White (14.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Schaffino 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 Schaffino surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino83.6% · 97
- White14.7% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schaffino
Schaffino 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+7 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,341 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,871 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 2,341 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 4,871 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 Schaffino 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 | #140,157 | #145,028 | -3.5% |
| Count | 119 | 116 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schaffino bearers went from 119 to 116 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 4,871 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #145,028.
FAQ
Schaffino surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schaffino?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Schaffino. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Schaffino?
Schaffino ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Schaffino. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Schaffino.
Has Schaffino become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schaffino went from 119 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Schaffino?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaffino, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 83.6%. The next largest groups are White (14.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Schaffino in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schaffino appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (83.6%), White (14.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Schaffino (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 Schaffino mean?
An Italian surname derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "sheep" or "shepherd". 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 Schaffino (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 have the last name Schaffino?
See how common the surname Schaffino is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.