2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Acello
Italian surname derived from the Latin word "acer," meaning "sharp" or "keen," likely referring to a sharp-witted person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Acello. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Acello 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Acello in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Acello, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Acello
The surname ACELLO has its origins in Southern Italy, primarily in the regions of Campania and Basilicata. The name can be traced back to the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
ACELLO is believed to be derived from the Latin word "acellus," which means "little field." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or owned a small field or plot of land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ACELLO can be found in a monastic record from the town of Amalfi, dating back to the late 14th century. This record mentions a certain Nicola Acello, who was a member of a local noble family.
In the 15th century, the name ACELLO appeared in several legal documents and deeds from the town of Potenza, in the Basilicata region. These documents reference various individuals, such as Giovanni Acello (born around 1420) and Antonio Acello (born around 1450), who were involved in land transactions and disputes.
During the Renaissance period, there are records of a prominent family bearing the name ACELLO in the city of Naples. One notable member was Gian Battista Acello (1493-1567), a renowned sculptor and architect who contributed to the design of several churches and palaces in Naples.
In the 17th century, a branch of the ACELLO family migrated to the island of Sicily, where they established themselves as landowners and merchants. One well-known figure from this era was Vincenzo Acello (1621-1693), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist who funded the construction of a hospital in the city of Palermo.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the ACELLO surname continued to be present in various parts of Southern Italy, with families residing in towns and villages across Campania, Basilicata, and Calabria. One notable individual from this period was Giuseppe Acello (1785-1862), a lawyer and political activist who played a role in the Italian unification movement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Acello
Among Census respondents with the surname Acello, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Acello 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 Acello surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 5
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Acello
Acello 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+12 bearers (+11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,662 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-16 bearers (-13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,025 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.2%) | Up 2,662 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -16 bearers (-13.4%) | Down 14,025 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 Acello 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 | #140,157 | #154,182 | -10.0% |
| Count | 119 | 103 | -13.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Acello bearers went from 119 to 103 (-13.4% change). The surname moved down 14,025 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #154,182.
FAQ
Acello surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Acello?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Acello. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Acello?
Acello ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Acello. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Acello.
Has Acello become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Acello went from 119 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 16 (-13.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Acello?
Among Census respondents with the surname Acello, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) 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 Acello in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Acello appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (4.9%), 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 Acello (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 Acello mean?
Italian surname derived from the Latin word "acer," meaning "sharp" or "keen," likely referring to a sharp-witted person. 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 Acello (0.03 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 Acello?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.