Find out how popular the last name Candela is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Candela.

Candela, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Candela surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Candela in America

Candela is the 13084th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Candela surname appeared 2,346 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Candela.

We can also compare 2010 data for Candela to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Candela

The surname Candela is of Italian origin, originating in the regions of Campania and Sicily during the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the Italian word "candela," meaning "candle," which may have been an occupational name for a candlemaker or a descriptive name referring to someone who lived near a candlemaker's shop or a place associated with candles.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Candela can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico Barese," a collection of historical documents from the city of Bari, dating back to the 11th century. In these documents, the name appears in various spellings, such as "Candela" and "Candela."

During the 13th century, the name Candela was mentioned in several Sicilian records, including the "Tabulario della Magione di Palermo," a collection of documents related to the Magione di Palermo, a religious institution in Sicily. These records provide evidence of the presence of the Candela family in Sicily during this period.

One notable individual bearing the surname Candela was Giovanni Candela, a Sicilian painter who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. His works can be found in various churches and museums in Sicily, including the Church of San Francesco d'Assisi in Palermo.

Another prominent figure was Girolamo Candela, a renowned architect and sculptor from Naples who lived in the late 16th century. He is best known for his contributions to the Certosa di San Martino, a monumental Carthusian monastery in Naples, where he designed and sculpted several important architectural elements.

In the 17th century, the Candela family gained prominence in the Kingdom of Naples, with members holding important positions in the government and the military. One notable individual was Gennaro Candela, a nobleman and military leader who served as the Governor of Naples in the 1640s.

During the 18th century, the Candela family continued to be influential in southern Italy, with several members holding high-ranking positions in the Church and the legal profession. One such individual was Tommaso Candela, a prominent lawyer and judge from the city of Lecce, who served as the president of the city's court of appeals in the late 1700s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Candela

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Candela.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Candela was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Candela has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Candela was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Candela, please contact us.

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