2000
#8,748
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,458
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.28
Rare Last name
Casella
An Italian occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of cheese or boxes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,561 Americans carry the last name Casella. That puts it at #9,927 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Casella 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
3.6K
1 in 96,252
Census rank
#9,927
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,105 bearers of the surname Casella in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9927th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Casella, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.4%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Casella
The surname Casella has its origins in Italy, tracing back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Italian word "casa," meaning "house" or "dwelling," combined with the diminutive suffix "-ella." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a small house or resided on a particular property.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Casella name can be found in the Codice Diplomatico della Lombardia Medievale, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the region of Lombardy. In this compilation, there are references to individuals bearing the Casella surname in the 13th and 14th centuries, indicating the name's presence in northern Italy during that period.
The Casella family may have originated in or had strong ties to the region of Liguria, particularly in the coastal areas around Genoa. Historical records from the 15th century mention a notable figure named Giacomo Casella, a merchant and ship owner from Genoa, who lived between 1420 and 1490.
Another prominent individual with the Casella surname was Giovanni Battista Casella, a renowned Italian composer and music theorist who lived from 1667 to 1720. Hailing from the city of Udine in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, he made significant contributions to the development of Baroque music.
In the 19th century, there was a notable architect named Luigi Casella (1804-1875) who was responsible for designing several important buildings in the city of Milan, including the neoclassical Palazzo delle Scuole Palatine.
The Casella name has also been associated with various places in Italy, such as the town of Casella in the province of Genoa, which likely took its name from the Italian word "casa," suggesting a connection to the surname's origins.
It's worth noting that the Casella surname may have evolved from earlier variations or spellings, such as Caselli or Casellari, which were more commonly used in certain regions or time periods. Additionally, there may have been instances where the name was Latinized or adapted to other languages, further contributing to its diversity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Casella
Among Census respondents with the surname Casella, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.4%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Casella 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 Casella surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.1% · 2,705
- Hispanic or Latino9.4% · 291
- Two or more races2.0% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 28
- Black or African American0.6% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Casella
Casella 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
#8,653
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,797
+339 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Up 95 places
2020
#9,927
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,105
-692 bearers (-18.2%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 1,274 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,748 | 3,458 | 1.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,653 | 3,797 | 1.29 | +339 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 95 places |
| 2020 | #9,927 | 3,105 | 1.04 | -692 bearers (-18.2%) | Down 1,274 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 Casella 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 | #8,653 | #9,927 | -14.7% |
| Count | 3,797 | 3,105 | -18.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.29 | 1.04 | -19.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Casella bearers went from 3,797 to 3,105 (-18.2% change). The surname moved down 1,274 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,653 to #9,927.
FAQ
Casella surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Casella?
Name Census estimates that about 3,561 living Americans carry the surname Casella. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,252 residents.
How common is Casella?
Casella ranks #9,927 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 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 3,105 people with the surname Casella. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,561), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 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 Casella.
Has Casella become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Casella went from 3,797 recorded bearers to 3,105. That is a decrease of 692 (-18.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,653 to #9,927.
What does the Census say about the background of Casella?
Among Census respondents with the surname Casella, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.4%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Casella in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (2,705 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Casella appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.1%), Hispanic (9.4%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Casella (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 Casella mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of cheese or boxes. 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 Casella (1.04 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 Casella?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Casella on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.