2000
#20,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,235
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.46
Rare Last name
Stefano
An Italian surname derived from the given name Stefano, ultimately from the Greek name Stephanos meaning "crown" or "garland".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,392 Americans carry the last name Stefano. That puts it at #21,853 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 246,232 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stefano 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
1.4K
1 in 246,232
Census rank
#21,853
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,214 bearers of the surname Stefano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21853rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stefano, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stefano
The surname Stefano has its origins in Italy, with records dating back to the late Middle Ages. It is an Italian patronymic name derived from the given name Stefano, which is the Italian form of the Greek name Stephanos, meaning "crown" or "garland."
The name Stefano was initially popular among Christians in ancient Rome, as it was associated with the first Christian martyr, Saint Stephen. It gained widespread use in Italy during the medieval period and became a common surname in various regions, particularly in areas such as Tuscany, Lazio, and Campania.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Stefano can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico Longobardo," a collection of documents from the Lombard period in Italy, dating back to the 8th century. The name also appears in various medieval manuscripts and records from Italian cities and towns.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Stefano di Giovanni, also known as Stefano Fiorentino, was a renowned painter and architect from Florence. He was active between 1290 and 1330 and is considered one of the most influential artists of the early Renaissance period in Italy.
Another prominent individual with the surname Stefano was Tommasino Stefano, a 14th-century Venetian navigator and explorer. He is credited with being one of the first Europeans to establish trade routes with the East Indies and the Spice Islands.
During the Renaissance, the Stefano family played a significant role in the artistic and cultural life of Italy. One notable member was Pietro Stefano, a 16th-century painter from Genoa, known for his religious works and portraiture.
In the 18th century, Antonio Stefano was a renowned Italian composer and violinist. He was born in Naples in 1721 and gained fame for his operas and instrumental compositions, which were performed throughout Europe.
Another notable figure was Giovanni Stefano, an Italian architect and engineer born in Venice in 1654. He was responsible for designing and constructing several important buildings and fortifications in Venice and other parts of Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stefano
Among Census respondents with the surname Stefano, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Stefano 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 Stefano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 1,073
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 82
- Two or more races2.7% · 33
- Black or African American1.1% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stefano
Stefano 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
#20,617
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,285
+50 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Down 530 places
2020
#21,853
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,214
-71 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Down 1,236 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,087 | 1,235 | 0.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,617 | 1,285 | 0.44 | +50 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 530 places |
| 2020 | #21,853 | 1,214 | 0.41 | -71 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 1,236 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 Stefano 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 | #20,617 | #21,853 | -6.0% |
| Count | 1,285 | 1,214 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.44 | 0.41 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stefano bearers went from 1,285 to 1,214 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 1,236 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,617 to #21,853.
FAQ
Stefano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stefano?
Name Census estimates that about 1,392 living Americans carry the surname Stefano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 246,232 residents.
How common is Stefano?
Stefano ranks #21,853 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.41 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 1,214 people with the surname Stefano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,392), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.41 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 Stefano.
Has Stefano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stefano went from 1,285 recorded bearers to 1,214. That is a decrease of 71 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,617 to #21,853.
What does the Census say about the background of Stefano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stefano, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Stefano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (1,073 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stefano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Hispanic (6.8%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Stefano (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 Stefano mean?
An Italian surname derived from the given name Stefano, ultimately from the Greek name Stephanos meaning "crown" or "garland". 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 Stefano (0.41 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 Stefano?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.