2000
#13,759
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,019
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Cannella
An Italian occupational surname referring to a cinnamon merchant or someone who sold spices.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,125 Americans carry the last name Cannella. That puts it at #15,248 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,296 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cannella 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
2.1K
1 in 161,296
Census rank
#15,248
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,853 bearers of the surname Cannella in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15248th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cannella, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cannella
The surname Cannella originates from Italy and is believed to have derived from the Italian word "cannella," which means cinnamon. The name likely emerged in the late medieval period, possibly indicating an association with the spice trade or a nickname for someone with a reddish-brown complexion reminiscent of cinnamon.
Historically, the name has been found in various regions of Italy, including Sicily, Campania, and Calabria. The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be traced back to the 16th century, with mentions in various Italian ecclesiastical records and census documents.
One notable figure bearing this surname was Giovanni Battista Cannella, an Italian painter who lived from 1675 to 1741. He was renowned for his religious artworks, particularly those adorning churches in Naples and its surrounding areas.
Another prominent individual was Gaetano Cannella, an Italian architect and engineer who lived from 1756 to 1835. He was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings in Sicily, including the Palazzo Municipale in Palermo.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe Cannella (1821-1894) was an Italian lawyer and politician who served as a deputy in the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy, representing the district of Palermo.
The name Cannella has also been associated with various place names in Italy, such as Cannella, a small town located in the province of Reggio Calabria, and Cannella di Gallicchio, a hamlet in the province of Potenza.
In addition to Italy, the surname has spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, where it can be found among Italian-American communities, particularly those with roots in Sicily and Campania.
While the surname Cannella may not be as widely documented in historical records as some other Italian surnames, its origins and connections to the spice trade and various regions of Italy contribute to its unique historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cannella
Among Census respondents with the surname Cannella, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cannella 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 Cannella surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 1,642
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 126
- Two or more races2.9% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 18
- Black or African American0.6% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cannella
Cannella 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
#13,158
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,325
+306 bearers (+15.2%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Up 601 places
2020
#15,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,853
-472 bearers (-20.3%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 2,090 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,759 | 2,019 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,158 | 2,325 | 0.79 | +306 bearers (+15.2%) | Up 601 places |
| 2020 | #15,248 | 1,853 | 0.62 | -472 bearers (-20.3%) | Down 2,090 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 Cannella 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 | #13,158 | #15,248 | -15.9% |
| Count | 2,325 | 1,853 | -20.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.62 | -21.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cannella bearers went from 2,325 to 1,853 (-20.3% change). The surname moved down 2,090 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,158 to #15,248.
FAQ
Cannella surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cannella?
Name Census estimates that about 2,125 living Americans carry the surname Cannella. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,296 residents.
How common is Cannella?
Cannella ranks #15,248 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 1,853 people with the surname Cannella. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,125), 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 Cannella.
Has Cannella become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cannella went from 2,325 recorded bearers to 1,853. That is a decrease of 472 (-20.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,158 to #15,248.
What does the Census say about the background of Cannella?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cannella, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) 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 Cannella in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (1,642 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cannella appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Hispanic (6.8%), 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 Cannella (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 Cannella mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a cinnamon merchant or someone who sold spices. 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 Cannella (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 people have the surname Cannella?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.