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

Caravella, 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 Caravella surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Caravella in America

Caravella is the 29878th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Caravella surname appeared 786 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Caravella.

We can also compare 2010 data for Caravella 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 Caravella

The surname Caravella is of Italian origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval period in regions like Tuscany, Lombardy, and Sicily. The name is believed to derive from the Italian word "caravella," which refers to a small, light sailing ship or caravel used for exploration and trade during the 15th and 16th centuries.

One of the earliest known records of the Caravella name can be found in the Florentine archives, where a certain Simone Caravella is mentioned as a merchant and ship-owner in the late 14th century. The name also appears in various maritime chronicles and logbooks from that era, suggesting a strong association with seafaring activities and the naval industry.

During the Renaissance period, the Caravella family gained prominence in the coastal cities of Italy, particularly in Genoa and Venice. Some notable individuals from this time include Giovanni Caravella, a renowned navigator and cartographer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493, and Filippo Caravella, a skilled shipbuilder whose caravels were highly sought after by the maritime republics of Italy.

As trade and exploration expanded across the Mediterranean and beyond, the Caravella name spread to other parts of Europe and the New World. In the 16th century, records show a Caravella family residing in Spain, likely descendants of Italian merchants or sailors who had settled in the region. One of the earliest known references to the name in Spain is found in the archives of Seville, where a certain Pedro Caravella is listed as a shipowner and trader in the late 1500s.

In the 17th century, the Caravella name can be traced to the Caribbean islands and the Spanish colonies in the Americas. Juan Caravella, born in 1625 in Havana, Cuba, was a prominent figure in the local government and a landowner in the region. Another notable individual was Miguel Caravella, a Spanish explorer and navigator who led several expeditions along the Pacific coast of South America in the late 1600s.

As the centuries passed, the Caravella name continued to spread across various parts of the world, with descendants settling in countries like France, England, and the United States. However, the name remained particularly concentrated in Italy, where it was associated with maritime traditions and the legacy of exploration and trade.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Caravella

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

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 Caravella 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 Caravella 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 Caravella was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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