2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Trifilio
An Italian surname derived from the Latin 'trifillo' meaning clover leaf or trefoil.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Trifilio. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trifilio 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Trifilio in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trifilio, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.9%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trifilio
The surname Trifilio is of Italian origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Italy, particularly in Sicily and Calabria. The name is derived from the Latin word "trifolium," meaning "three-leaved clover," which was likely an occupational name for someone who worked with or cultivated clover.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Monumenta Germaniae Historica, a collection of historical sources from the Middle Ages. In this collection, there is a reference to a landowner named Trifilio from the town of Messina, Sicily, in the 12th century.
During the Renaissance period, the Trifilio family gained prominence in the city of Palermo, Sicily. In the 16th century, a nobleman named Antonino Trifilio was known for his patronage of the arts and his support of local artists and writers. His son, Giovanni Trifilio, was a renowned sculptor who created several remarkable works that adorned churches and public buildings in Palermo.
In the 17th century, the Trifilio name appeared in various historical records in the Kingdom of Naples. One notable figure from this era was Vincenzo Trifilio, a lawyer and statesman who served as a judge in the Royal Court of Naples.
As the Trifilio family members migrated to other parts of Italy and Europe, the name underwent slight variations in spelling. For instance, in the 18th century, a branch of the family settled in the Piedmont region of northern Italy, where the name was recorded as Trifillio.
Another notable figure was Girolamo Trifilio, a 19th-century Italian philosopher and writer from Calabria. He was known for his works on ethics and political philosophy, and his book "Della Libertà e dell'Uguaglianza" (On Liberty and Equality) was widely acclaimed.
In more recent history, Salvatore Trifilio (1908-1995) was an Italian-American artist and sculptor from Sicily who gained recognition for his public works and monuments in New York City and other parts of the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trifilio
Among Census respondents with the surname Trifilio, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.9%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Trifilio 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 Trifilio surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.3% · 83
- Hispanic or Latino18.9% · 20
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trifilio
Trifilio 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-4 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,585 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+4 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,093 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 14,585 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.9%) | Up 6,093 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 Trifilio 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 | #158,432 | #152,339 | 3.8% |
| Count | 102 | 106 | 3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trifilio bearers went from 102 to 106 (+3.9% change). The surname moved up 6,093 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #152,339.
FAQ
Trifilio surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trifilio?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Trifilio. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Trifilio?
Trifilio ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Trifilio. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Trifilio.
Has Trifilio become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trifilio went from 102 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 4 (+3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Trifilio?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trifilio, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.9%) and Black (1.9%). 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 Trifilio in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.3% (83 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trifilio appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.3%), Hispanic (18.9%), Black (1.9%). 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 Trifilio (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 Trifilio mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Latin 'trifillo' meaning clover leaf or trefoil. 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 Trifilio (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 many people share the surname Trifilio?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.