2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Talafuse
A locational surname likely originating from a place name in Italy or surrounding regions.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Talafuse. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Talafuse 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Talafuse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Talafuse, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Talafuse
The surname Talafuse has its origins in Italy, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from the Italian word "talafuso," which means "pierced" or "pierced with a sword." This suggests that the name may have been given to a soldier or warrior who was wounded in battle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Talafuse surname can be found in a manuscript from the city of Genoa, dated 1287. This document mentions a man named Giovanni Talafuse, who was a merchant and trader in the city. The name appears to have been prevalent in the coastal regions of Italy, particularly in Liguria and Tuscany.
In the 14th century, the Talafuse name appears in several historical records from the city of Florence. One notable figure was Andrea Talafuse, a renowned painter and sculptor who lived from 1332 to 1402. His works can still be seen in some of the churches and museums in Florence.
The name Talafuse also appears in a few historical manuscripts from the 16th century, including a record of a land transaction in the town of Siena, where a man named Pietro Talafuse purchased a vineyard in 1524.
Another notable figure was Marco Talafuse, a philosopher and scholar who lived from 1572 to 1648. He wrote several treatises on the works of Aristotle and Plato, and his works were widely read and studied in the universities of Italy during that time.
In the 18th century, the Talafuse name gained prominence in the city of Naples. Antonio Talafuse, born in 1712, was a prominent lawyer and judge who served in the Neapolitan court. His son, Giuseppe Talafuse, followed in his footsteps and became a respected jurist in the late 18th century.
During the 19th century, there were several Talafuse family members who made significant contributions to the arts and sciences. One such individual was Francesca Talafuse, a renowned opera singer who performed in some of the most prestigious theaters in Europe during the 1840s and 1850s.
It is worth noting that variations of the spelling of the name have been found in historical records, including Talavuse, Talfuse, and Talafuzi. Additionally, some records suggest that the name may have been derived from the Italian place name "Talamonaccio," a small town in the region of Lazio.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Talafuse
Among Census respondents with the surname Talafuse, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Talafuse 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 Talafuse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.9% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino9.3% · 11
- Two or more races6.8% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Talafuse
Talafuse 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+17 bearers (+16.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,867 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,283 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+16.5%) | Up 7,867 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 4,283 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 Talafuse 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 | #139,228 | #143,511 | -3.1% |
| Count | 120 | 118 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Talafuse bearers went from 120 to 118 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 4,283 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #143,511.
FAQ
Talafuse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Talafuse?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Talafuse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Talafuse?
Talafuse ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Talafuse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Talafuse.
Has Talafuse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Talafuse went from 120 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Talafuse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Talafuse, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (6.8%). 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 Talafuse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.9% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Talafuse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.9%), Hispanic (9.3%), Two or More Races (6.8%). 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 Talafuse (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 Talafuse mean?
A locational surname likely originating from a place name in Italy or surrounding regions. 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 Talafuse (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 common is the surname Talafuse?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Talafuse on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.