2000
#15,898
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,680
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.62
Rare Last name
Stefani
A Greek surname derived from the given name meaning "crown" or "wreath".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,902 Americans carry the last name Stefani. That puts it at #16,752 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 180,207 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stefani 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Stefani with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.9K
1 in 180,207
Census rank
#16,752
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,659 bearers of the surname Stefani in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16752nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stefani, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stefani
Among Census respondents with the surname Stefani, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Stefani 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 Stefani surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 1,487
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 116
- Two or more races2.2% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stefani
Stefani 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
#16,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,702
+22 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Down 883 places
2020
#16,752
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,659
-43 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.56
Rank movement Up 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,898 | 1,680 | 0.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,781 | 1,702 | 0.58 | +22 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 883 places |
| 2020 | #16,752 | 1,659 | 0.56 | -43 bearers (-2.5%) | Up 29 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 Stefani 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 | #16,781 | #16,752 | 0.2% |
| Count | 1,702 | 1,659 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.58 | 0.56 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stefani bearers went from 1,702 to 1,659 (-2.5% change). The surname moved up 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,781 to #16,752.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Stefani
FAQ
Stefani surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stefani?
Name Census estimates that about 1,902 living Americans carry the surname Stefani. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 180,207 residents.
How common is Stefani?
Stefani ranks #16,752 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.56 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 1,659 people with the surname Stefani. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,902), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.56 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 Stefani.
Has Stefani become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stefani went from 1,702 recorded bearers to 1,659. That is a decrease of 43 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,781 to #16,752.
What does the Census say about the background of Stefani?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stefani, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Stefani in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (1,487 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stefani appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (7.0%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Stefani (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 Stefani mean?
A Greek surname derived from the given name meaning "crown" or "wreath". 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 Stefani (0.56 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 Stefani?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.