2000
#11,399
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,535
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Trapani
A habitational surname referring to someone from the Sicilian city of Trapani or the surrounding area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,814 Americans carry the last name Trapani. That puts it at #12,124 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,803 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trapani 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
2.8K
1 in 121,803
Census rank
#12,124
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,454 bearers of the surname Trapani in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12124th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trapani, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trapani
The surname Trapani is of Italian origin, specifically from the island of Sicily. It is derived from the name of the city of Trapani, which is located on the western coast of Sicily. The name Trapani itself is believed to come from the Greek word "Drepanon," meaning "sickle," referring to the curved shape of the city's harbor.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Trapani can be traced back to the 13th century in Sicilian historical records. One notable bearer of this name was Pietro Trapani, a Sicilian architect and sculptor who lived in the 15th century and was responsible for the construction of several notable churches and palaces in the city of Trapani.
Another prominent individual with the surname Trapani was Girolamo Trapani, a Sicilian painter who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was known for his religious works and is considered one of the leading painters of the Sicilian Baroque style.
In the 18th century, a Sicilian family with the surname Trapani emigrated to Malta, where they became influential in the local nobility and politics. One member of this family, Giovanni Battista Trapani, served as the Governor of Malta from 1756 to 1763.
Moving to more recent times, Vincenzo Trapani was an Italian sculptor and painter who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best known for his works depicting scenes from Sicilian folklore and rural life.
Another notable bearer of the Trapani surname was Filippo Trapani, an Italian politician and lawyer who lived in the early 20th century. He served as a member of the Italian Parliament and was a vocal advocate for the rights of Sicilian workers and peasants.
While the surname Trapani is most closely associated with Sicily, it has also spread to other parts of Italy and beyond through migration and intermarriage. However, its roots can be traced back to the historic city of Trapani, which has played a significant role in the cultural and economic history of Sicily for centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trapani
Among Census respondents with the surname Trapani, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Trapani 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 Trapani surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 2,242
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 124
- Two or more races2.1% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 21
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trapani
Trapani 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
#12,059
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,586
+51 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 660 places
2020
#12,124
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,454
-132 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,399 | 2,535 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,059 | 2,586 | 0.88 | +51 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 660 places |
| 2020 | #12,124 | 2,454 | 0.82 | -132 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 65 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 Trapani 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 | #12,059 | #12,124 | -0.5% |
| Count | 2,586 | 2,454 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.82 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trapani bearers went from 2,586 to 2,454 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,059 to #12,124.
FAQ
Trapani surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trapani?
Name Census estimates that about 2,814 living Americans carry the surname Trapani. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,803 residents.
How common is Trapani?
Trapani ranks #12,124 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,454 people with the surname Trapani. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,814), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Trapani.
Has Trapani become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trapani went from 2,586 recorded bearers to 2,454. That is a decrease of 132 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,059 to #12,124.
What does the Census say about the background of Trapani?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trapani, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Trapani in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (2,242 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trapani appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Trapani (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 Trapani mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from the Sicilian city of Trapani or the surrounding area. 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 Trapani (0.82 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 are called Trapani?
Want to know how many people have the last name Trapani? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.