2000
#9,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,195
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.18
Rare Last name
Borrelli
An Italian toponymic surname referring to someone from the town of Borrello in the Abruzzo region of Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,510 Americans carry the last name Borrelli. That puts it at #10,040 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,651 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Borrelli 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 Borrelli with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 97,651
Census rank
#10,040
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,061 bearers of the surname Borrelli in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10040th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Borrelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Borrelli
The surname Borrelli is of Italian origin, specifically from the region of Campania in southern Italy. It is derived from the Italian word "borrello," which means "rough wool" or "coarse fabric." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals involved in the wool trade or textile industry.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Borrelli can be traced back to the 14th century in various records and documents from the Campania region. One notable example is a land registry from the town of Caserta, dated 1375, which mentions a certain Giovanni Borrelli as a landowner.
In the 15th century, the name appears in several manuscripts and records from the city of Naples, indicating that the Borrelli family had established a presence in the area. One such record is a marriage contract from 1487 between Antonello Borrelli and Lucrezia Caracciolo, both from prominent Neapolitan families.
During the Renaissance period, the Borrelli family produced several notable individuals. One of the most prominent was Giovanni Alfonso Borrelli (1608-1679), a renowned Italian mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to the study of motion and mechanics. He is best known for his work "De Motu Animalium," published in 1680.
Another notable figure was Gian Bernardo Borrelli (1671-1748), an Italian architect and engineer who was responsible for the construction of several important buildings and fortifications in Naples, including the Palazzo Reale and the Castel Sant'Elmo.
In the 18th century, the Borrelli family continued to play a prominent role in the cultural and intellectual life of Naples. Giuseppe Maria Borrelli (1734-1804) was a renowned jurist and author who wrote extensively on legal and philosophical topics.
During the 19th century, the name Borrelli became associated with the Italian unification movement. Pasquale Borrelli (1813-1891) was a patriot and revolutionary who fought alongside Giuseppe Garibaldi in the struggle for Italian independence.
Throughout its history, the surname Borrelli has also been found in various spellings and variations, such as Borelli, Burelli, and Burrelli, reflecting the regional variations and linguistic influences within Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Borrelli
Among Census respondents with the surname Borrelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Borrelli 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 Borrelli surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 2,756
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 208
- Two or more races2.2% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 21
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Borrelli
Borrelli 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
#9,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,440
+245 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 101 places
2020
#10,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,061
-379 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 582 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,357 | 3,195 | 1.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,458 | 3,440 | 1.17 | +245 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 101 places |
| 2020 | #10,040 | 3,061 | 1.02 | -379 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 582 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 Borrelli 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 | #9,458 | #10,040 | -6.2% |
| Count | 3,440 | 3,061 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.02 | -12.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Borrelli bearers went from 3,440 to 3,061 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 582 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,458 to #10,040.
FAQ
Borrelli surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Borrelli?
Name Census estimates that about 3,510 living Americans carry the surname Borrelli. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,651 residents.
How common is Borrelli?
Borrelli ranks #10,040 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 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 3,061 people with the surname Borrelli. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,510), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 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 Borrelli.
Has Borrelli become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Borrelli went from 3,440 recorded bearers to 3,061. That is a decrease of 379 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,458 to #10,040.
What does the Census say about the background of Borrelli?
Among Census respondents with the surname Borrelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Borrelli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (2,756 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Borrelli appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (6.8%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Borrelli (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 Borrelli mean?
An Italian toponymic surname referring to someone from the town of Borrello in the Abruzzo region of Italy. 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 Borrelli (1.02 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 Borrelli?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Borrelli is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.