2000
#14,415
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,901
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Borelli
Italian surname derived from a diminutive of the personal name Borro, referring to a person with a stocky build.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,047 Americans carry the last name Borelli. That puts it at #15,743 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 167,442 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Borelli 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
2.0K
1 in 167,442
Census rank
#15,743
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,785 bearers of the surname Borelli in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15743rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Borelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Borelli
The surname Borelli is of Italian origin, tracing its roots back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated in the regions of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. The name is derived from the Italian word "borella," which means a small hill or knoll.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Borelli can be found in the Florentine Priorista, a historical document from the 14th century. This document lists several individuals with the surname Borelli, indicating that the name was already established in the region during that time.
In the 16th century, the name Borelli appeared in various historical records and manuscripts, including the Catasto Fiorentino, a tax record from Florence. One notable figure from this period was Giovanni Alfonso Borelli, a renowned Italian physicist, mathematician, and philosopher, who was born in 1608 and died in 1679.
During the 17th century, the surname Borelli gained prominence in Italy, with several influential individuals bearing this name. Among them was Francesco Maria Borelli, an Italian physician and anatomist, who was born in 1619 and died in 1679. He made significant contributions to the study of biomechanics and is regarded as one of the founders of modern physiology.
In the 18th century, the name Borelli appeared in various geographical locations across Italy. For instance, there was a village called Borelli in the province of Chieti, Abruzzo. Additionally, there were several notable individuals with this surname, such as Giovanni Battista Borelli, an Italian architect and military engineer, who was born in 1730 and died in 1794.
Throughout the 19th century, the surname Borelli continued to be prominent in Italy. One notable figure was Prospero Borelli, an Italian painter and sculptor, who was born in 1819 and died in 1894. His works are widely celebrated and can be found in various museums across Italy.
Other notable individuals with the surname Borelli include Vincenzo Borelli, an Italian composer and violinist who lived during the 18th century, and Aldo Borelli, an Italian film director and screenwriter who was active in the 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Borelli
Among Census respondents with the surname Borelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Borelli 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 Borelli surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 1,563
- Hispanic or Latino7.7% · 137
- Two or more races2.9% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 21
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Borelli
Borelli 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
#14,662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,029
+128 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 247 places
2020
#15,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,785
-244 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 1,081 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,415 | 1,901 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,662 | 2,029 | 0.69 | +128 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 247 places |
| 2020 | #15,743 | 1,785 | 0.60 | -244 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 1,081 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 Borelli 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 | #14,662 | #15,743 | -7.4% |
| Count | 2,029 | 1,785 | -12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.60 | -13.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Borelli bearers went from 2,029 to 1,785 (-12.0% change). The surname moved down 1,081 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,662 to #15,743.
FAQ
Borelli surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Borelli?
Name Census estimates that about 2,047 living Americans carry the surname Borelli. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 167,442 residents.
How common is Borelli?
Borelli ranks #15,743 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,785 people with the surname Borelli. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,047), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Borelli.
Has Borelli become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Borelli went from 2,029 recorded bearers to 1,785. That is a decrease of 244 (-12.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,662 to #15,743.
What does the Census say about the background of Borelli?
Among Census respondents with the surname Borelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Borelli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (1,563 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Borelli appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Hispanic (7.7%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Borelli (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 Borelli mean?
Italian surname derived from a diminutive of the personal name Borro, referring to a person with a stocky build. 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 Borelli (0.60 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 are called Borelli?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Borelli? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.