2000
#16,802
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,564
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Ferrigno
An Italian surname derived from "ferro", meaning iron, possibly referring to an ancestor's occupation as a blacksmith or ironworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,775 Americans carry the last name Ferrigno. That puts it at #17,798 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 193,101 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ferrigno 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
1.8K
1 in 193,101
Census rank
#17,798
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,548 bearers of the surname Ferrigno in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17798th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferrigno, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ferrigno
The surname Ferrigno originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "ferro," meaning iron, and was likely an occupational name for someone who worked with iron, such as a blacksmith or metalworker.
The name can be traced back to the regions of Campania and Calabria in southern Italy, where it was particularly prevalent. Records from the 13th and 14th centuries show variations of the spelling, including Ferrigno, Ferrignio, and Ferrigni.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ferrigno name appears in a document from the city of Naples, dated 1327. This document mentions a certain Nicola Ferrigno, who was a local merchant and landowner.
During the Renaissance period, the name Ferrigno gained prominence as several individuals with this surname made significant contributions. Notably, Giovanni Ferrigno (1456-1534), a renowned architect from Naples, designed several churches and palaces in the city.
Another notable figure was Antonio Ferrigno (1603-1687), a Baroque painter from Gaeta. His works can be found in various churches and galleries throughout Italy.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe Ferrigno (1836-1895), a politician and lawyer from Palermo, played an important role in the unification of Italy and served as a member of the Italian Parliament.
One of the most famous individuals with the Ferrigno surname is the American actor and bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno, born in 1951. He is best known for his portrayal of the Incredible Hulk in the television series of the same name.
Other notable individuals throughout history with the surname Ferrigno include Vincenzo Ferrigno (1890-1936), an Italian-American mobster and founder of the Ferrigno crime family, and Salvatore Ferrigno (1903-1989), an Italian-American artist and sculptor.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ferrigno
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferrigno, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ferrigno 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 Ferrigno surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 1,371
- Hispanic or Latino7.5% · 116
- Two or more races2.5% · 38
- Black or African American0.8% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ferrigno
Ferrigno 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
#17,662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,590
+26 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Down 860 places
2020
#17,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,548
-42 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Down 136 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,802 | 1,564 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,662 | 1,590 | 0.54 | +26 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 860 places |
| 2020 | #17,798 | 1,548 | 0.52 | -42 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 136 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 Ferrigno 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 | #17,662 | #17,798 | -0.8% |
| Count | 1,590 | 1,548 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.54 | 0.52 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ferrigno bearers went from 1,590 to 1,548 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 136 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,662 to #17,798.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ferrigno
FAQ
Ferrigno surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ferrigno?
Name Census estimates that about 1,775 living Americans carry the surname Ferrigno. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 193,101 residents.
How common is Ferrigno?
Ferrigno ranks #17,798 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.52 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 1,548 people with the surname Ferrigno. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,775), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.52 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 Ferrigno.
Has Ferrigno become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ferrigno went from 1,590 recorded bearers to 1,548. That is a decrease of 42 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #17,662 to #17,798.
What does the Census say about the background of Ferrigno?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferrigno, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Ferrigno in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (1,371 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ferrigno appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Hispanic (7.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Ferrigno (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 Ferrigno mean?
An Italian surname derived from "ferro", meaning iron, possibly referring to an ancestor's occupation as a blacksmith or ironworker. 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 Ferrigno (0.52 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 Americans have the surname Ferrigno?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.