2000
#17,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,508
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.56
Rare Last name
Balla
A surname derived from the Greek word meaning "to dance."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,117 Americans carry the last name Balla. That puts it at #15,307 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,906 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Balla 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Balla with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 161,906
Census rank
#15,307
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,846 bearers of the surname Balla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15307th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Balla, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.6%) and Black (8.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Balla
The surname "Balla" has its origins in Italy, specifically in the regions of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "balla," which means "bale" or "bundle," referring to the occupation of handling or transporting bales of goods, such as wool or cotton.
The name "Balla" can be traced back to the 13th century in Italian records and documents. One of the earliest mentions of the surname is found in a document from the city of Modena in 1289, which refers to a certain "Guglielmo Balla."
During the Middle Ages, the surname "Balla" was also found in various forms, such as "Balle," "Balli," and "Ballis." These variations were likely due to regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time. The name was associated with the trade and transportation of goods, as well as the production of textiles and other materials that were commonly bundled into bales.
In the 14th century, the surname "Balla" appeared in the historical records of the city of Bologna. One notable figure from this period was Giovanni Balla, a wealthy merchant who lived in the late 1300s and was involved in the trade of wool and silk.
As the centuries passed, the surname "Balla" spread across Italy and beyond. In the 16th century, there was a prominent family of artists and architects from Milan named Balla. The most renowned member was Camillo Balla (1530-1592), who designed several churches and palaces in Milan and its surrounding areas.
Another notable individual with the surname "Balla" was Antonio Balla (1718-1783), an Italian painter and etcher from the city of Treviso. He specialized in portraiture and religious subjects, and his works can be found in various churches and galleries throughout Italy.
In the 19th century, the surname "Balla" gained international recognition with the Italian Futurist artist Giacomo Balla (1871-1958). He was a pioneer of the Futurist movement and is best known for his works that depicted movement and dynamism, such as "Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash" and "Iridescent Interpenetration."
Throughout history, the surname "Balla" has been associated with various occupations, from merchants and traders to artists and craftsmen. While the name originated in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural exchanges that have shaped societies over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Balla
Among Census respondents with the surname Balla, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.6%) and Black (8.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Balla 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 Balla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.4% · 1,263
- Asian and Pacific Islander16.6% · 307
- Black or African American8.3% · 153
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 79
- Two or more races2.4% · 44
Timeline
Historical Census data for Balla
Balla 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
#17,551
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,603
+95 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Down 269 places
2020
#15,307
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,846
+243 bearers (+15.2%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 2,244 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,282 | 1,508 | 0.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,551 | 1,603 | 0.54 | +95 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 269 places |
| 2020 | #15,307 | 1,846 | 0.62 | +243 bearers (+15.2%) | Up 2,244 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 Balla 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 | #17,551 | #15,307 | 12.8% |
| Count | 1,603 | 1,846 | 15.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.54 | 0.62 | 14.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Balla bearers went from 1,603 to 1,846 (+15.2% change). The surname moved up 2,244 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,551 to #15,307.
FAQ
Balla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Balla?
Name Census estimates that about 2,117 living Americans carry the surname Balla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,906 residents.
How common is Balla?
Balla ranks #15,307 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,846 people with the surname Balla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Balla.
Has Balla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Balla went from 1,603 recorded bearers to 1,846. That is an increase of 243 (+15.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,551 to #15,307.
What does the Census say about the background of Balla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Balla, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.6%) and Black (8.3%). 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 Balla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.4% (1,263 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Balla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (16.6%), Black (8.3%). 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 Balla (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 Balla mean?
A surname derived from the Greek word meaning "to dance." 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 Balla (0.62 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 Balla?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.