Find out how popular the last name Sclafani is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sclafani.

Sclafani, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Sclafani surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sclafani in America

Sclafani is the 14374th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sclafani surname appeared 2,080 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Sclafani.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sclafani to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Sclafani

The surname Sclafani has its origins in Sicily, Italy, dating back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Italian word "schiaffo," which means "slap," combined with the suffix "-ano," indicating a place of origin. This suggests that the name may have originated from a place where slapping or striking was common, possibly referring to a military conflict or activity.

The name Sclafani is closely associated with the town of the same name in the province of Palermo, Sicily. Historical records indicate that the town of Sclafani was established around 1061 by a Norman nobleman named Goffredo di Sclafani. This connection suggests that the surname may have originated from this noble family or the town they founded.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Sclafani can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Siciliae, a collection of medieval documents from Sicily, which mentions a certain Riccardo Sclafani in the year 1233. This indicates that the name was already established in Sicily by the 13th century.

Notable individuals with the surname Sclafani include Matteo Sclafani (c. 1290-1354), a Sicilian nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the conflicts between the Angevins and the Aragonese for control of Sicily. Another prominent figure was Antonio Sclafani (1556-1628), a Sicilian philosopher and theologian who wrote extensively on metaphysics and logic.

In the 15th century, a branch of the Sclafani family migrated to Spain, where the name evolved into various spellings such as Esclafani and Escalfani. One notable figure from this Spanish branch was Nicolás de Esclafani (1585-1665), a Spanish military officer and governor of the Philippines from 1635 to 1637.

The name Sclafani can also be found in historical records from other parts of Italy, such as the city of Genoa, where a certain Francesco Sclafani (1550-1621) was a renowned merchant and banker. In the 18th century, a branch of the family settled in the region of Calabria, where the name became associated with the town of Sclafano.

Throughout its history, the surname Sclafani has been associated with various notable individuals, including Pietro Sclafani (1560-1625), a Sicilian architect and engineer who designed several important buildings in Palermo, and Gerolamo Sclafani (1680-1756), a Sicilian painter known for his religious works.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sclafani

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sclafani.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sclafani was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Sclafani has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Sclafani was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sclafani, please contact us.

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