2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sferlazza
An Italian surname derived from the Greek word "sfaira" meaning "sphere" or "ball."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Sferlazza. 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 Sferlazza 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 Sferlazza 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 Sferlazza, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sferlazza
The surname Sferlazza has its origins in Sicily, Italy. It likely emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Sicilian words "sfarrari" meaning "to escape" and "lazza" meaning "rope" or "snare." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who had escaped from a trap or snare.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Sferlazza can be traced back to the town of Misilmeri, near Palermo, Sicily. In the 14th century, there are records of a family with the surname Sferlazza residing in this area. The name is also found in historical documents from neighboring towns such as Villabate and Monreale.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Giovanni Sferlazza (1522-1589) was a prominent landowner and nobleman in the region of Trapani, Sicily. He was known for his philanthropic efforts and donated funds for the construction of a church in the town of Paceco.
Another historical figure with the name Sferlazza was Vincenzo Sferlazza (1674-1745), a Sicilian painter and architect who worked in the Baroque style. Several of his paintings and architectural designs can still be found in churches and buildings across Sicily.
During the 18th century, the name Sferlazza appeared in records from the town of Alcamo, in the province of Trapani. A prominent family with this surname, the Sferlazza di Castelvetrano, were landowners and merchants in the region.
In the 19th century, a notable individual named Giuseppe Sferlazza (1820-1892) was a renowned lawyer and politician from Palermo. He served as a member of the Italian Parliament and was involved in the Sicilian independence movement.
While the surname Sferlazza is primarily associated with Sicily, it has also been found in other parts of Italy, such as the regions of Calabria and Campania, likely due to migration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sferlazza
Among Census respondents with the surname Sferlazza, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sferlazza 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 Sferlazza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sferlazza
Sferlazza 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-8 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,124 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+11 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,879 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 18,124 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 9,879 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 Sferlazza 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 | #154,907 | #145,028 | 6.4% |
| Count | 105 | 116 | 10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sferlazza bearers went from 105 to 116 (+10.5% change). The surname moved up 9,879 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #145,028.
FAQ
Sferlazza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sferlazza?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Sferlazza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Sferlazza?
Sferlazza 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 Sferlazza. 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 Sferlazza.
Has Sferlazza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sferlazza went from 105 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 11 (+10.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Sferlazza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sferlazza, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sferlazza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sferlazza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Hispanic (4.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Sferlazza (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 Sferlazza mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Greek word "sfaira" meaning "sphere" or "ball." 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 Sferlazza (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 surname Sferlazza?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.