2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bellora
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "bella" meaning beautiful.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Bellora. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bellora 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Bellora in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bellora, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.0%) and Black (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bellora
The surname Bellora is of Italian origin, specifically from the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is believed to have originated in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "bella," meaning beautiful, and the suffix "-ora," which denotes a place or location. Thus, the name could have originated from a place name or topographical feature that was considered beautiful.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bellora can be found in the historical archives of the city of Milan, dating back to the 15th century. In a document from 1492, a certain Giovanni Bellora is mentioned as a merchant and landowner in the outskirts of the city. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
The name Bellora has also been connected to the town of Bellora, a small commune located in the province of Pavia, Lombardy. While the origins of the town's name are uncertain, it is possible that it was named after a family bearing the surname Bellora, or vice versa. This town is first mentioned in historical records from the 11th century.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Bellora was Girolamo Bellora, a renowned painter and architect who lived from 1536 to 1596. He was born in the town of Caravaggio, near Milan, and was known for his contributions to the Renaissance art and architecture in the region.
Another notable individual was Antonio Bellora, a composer and musician who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries (c. 1660-1728). He was active in the court of the Duchy of Savoy, and his works were widely performed in Italy and other parts of Europe during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the surname Bellora was Giuseppe Bellora, an Italian politician and lawyer who lived from 1827 to 1904. He served as a member of the Italian Parliament and was involved in the efforts to unify Italy during the Risorgimento.
The surname Bellora has also been associated with several noble families in Italy, particularly in the regions of Lombardy and Piedmont. While the exact details of their lineages are not widely documented, it is evident that the name held a certain prestige and was associated with landowners and aristocratic circles in the past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bellora
Among Census respondents with the surname Bellora, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.0%) and Black (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bellora 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 Bellora surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.2% · 88
- Two or more races14.0% · 16
- Black or African American6.1% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bellora
Bellora 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+10 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 334 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-9 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,046 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.8%) | Up 334 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 10,046 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 Bellora 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 | #136,449 | #146,495 | -7.4% |
| Count | 123 | 114 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bellora bearers went from 123 to 114 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 10,046 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #146,495.
FAQ
Bellora surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bellora?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Bellora. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Bellora?
Bellora ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Bellora. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Bellora.
Has Bellora become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bellora went from 123 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Bellora?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bellora, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.0%) and Black (6.1%). 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 Bellora in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.2% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bellora appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.2%), Two or More Races (14.0%), Black (6.1%). 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 Bellora (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 Bellora mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "bella" meaning beautiful. 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 Bellora (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 common is the surname Bellora?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Bellora at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.