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

Stefani, 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 Stefani surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Stefani in America

Stefani is the 16781st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Stefani surname appeared 1,702 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 Stefani.

We can also compare 2010 data for Stefani 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 Stefani

The surname Stefani is of Italian origin, stemming from the medieval Italian name Stefano, which is derived from the Greek name Stephanos, meaning "crown" or "wreath." The name first emerged in Italy during the Middle Ages.

The earliest known references to the Stefani surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Italy, including Florence, Genoa, and Venice. It was commonly associated with families or individuals who had connections to the Greek or Byzantine communities present in these areas during that time period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Stefani surname appears in the Florentine registry of taxpayers from 1292, where a certain Gherardo Stefani is listed as a resident of the city. Additionally, a document from 1305 mentions a Niccolò Stefani, a merchant from Genoa who conducted trade with the Byzantine Empire.

Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the Stefani surname. One prominent figure was Tommaso Stefani (1324-1399), a renowned Italian jurist and legal scholar from Bologna, who was instrumental in the development of canon law during the 14th century.

Another notable Stefani was Agostino Stefani (1603-1668), an Italian painter and etcher from Genoa, known for his religious works and portraits. His etchings, particularly those depicting scenes from the life of Christ, were highly regarded during the Baroque period.

In the 19th century, Vincenzo Stefani (1812-1892), an Italian geologist and paleontologist from Tuscany, made significant contributions to the study of fossils and the geological formations of the Apennine Mountains.

Furthermore, the Stefani surname has been associated with various place names and historical locations in Italy. For instance, the town of Stefano, located in the province of Pavia, is believed to have derived its name from the surname Stefani, likely indicating the presence of a prominent Stefani family in the area.

Throughout history, the Stefani surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Stefano, Stefanini, and Stefanelli, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic evolutions within Italy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Stefani

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

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 Stefani 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 Stefani 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 Stefani was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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