2000
#13,513
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,062
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Sclafani
An Italian habitational surname referring to someone from the Sicilian town of Sclafani Bagni.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,225 Americans carry the last name Sclafani. That puts it at #14,695 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 154,047 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sclafani 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
2.2K
1 in 154,047
Census rank
#14,695
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,940 bearers of the surname Sclafani in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14695th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sclafani, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sclafani
Among Census respondents with the surname Sclafani, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Sclafani 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 Sclafani surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.3% · 1,693
- Hispanic or Latino9.3% · 181
- Two or more races2.3% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sclafani
Sclafani 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
#14,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,080
+18 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 861 places
2020
#14,695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,940
-140 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 321 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,513 | 2,062 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,374 | 2,080 | 0.71 | +18 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 861 places |
| 2020 | #14,695 | 1,940 | 0.65 | -140 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 321 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 Sclafani 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 | #14,374 | #14,695 | -2.2% |
| Count | 2,080 | 1,940 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.65 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sclafani bearers went from 2,080 to 1,940 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 321 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,374 to #14,695.
FAQ
Sclafani surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sclafani?
Name Census estimates that about 2,225 living Americans carry the surname Sclafani. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 154,047 residents.
How common is Sclafani?
Sclafani ranks #14,695 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,940 people with the surname Sclafani. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,225), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Sclafani.
Has Sclafani become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sclafani went from 2,080 recorded bearers to 1,940. That is a decrease of 140 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,374 to #14,695.
What does the Census say about the background of Sclafani?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sclafani, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Sclafani in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (1,693 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sclafani appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.3%), Hispanic (9.3%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Sclafani (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 Sclafani mean?
An Italian habitational surname referring to someone from the Sicilian town of Sclafani Bagni. 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 Sclafani (0.65 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 Sclafani?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Sclafani is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.