2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ciarla
An Italian surname derived from the word "ciarla" meaning chatter or gossip.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Ciarla. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ciarla 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Ciarla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ciarla, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ciarla
The surname "CIARLA" is of Italian origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "ciarlare," which means "to chatter" or "to babble." The name likely originated in various regions of Italy, particularly in the central and southern regions where dialects that use the word "ciarlare" were more prevalent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "CIARLA" can be found in the Catasto Onciario, a census-like document from the Kingdom of Sicily in the 15th century. This suggests that the name was already in use during this time period in parts of southern Italy.
In the 16th century, the surname "CIARLA" appeared in various records and documents from the Italian states, such as tax registers and baptismal records. For example, a man named Girolamo Ciarla was born in Naples in 1542, and his name is recorded in the baptismal records of the Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname "CIARLA" continued to spread across Italy, with notable bearers including the artist Giacomo Ciarla (1621-1688), who was known for his religious paintings in Rome, and the writer and philosopher Pietro Ciarla (1738-1812), who was born in Calabria and wrote extensively on ethics and moral philosophy.
In the 19th century, the surname "CIARLA" gained prominence with the birth of Carlo Ciarla (1826-1898), a prominent Italian politician and statesman who served as the Minister of Finance in the Kingdom of Italy from 1889 to 1891.
Another notable bearer of the surname "CIARLA" was Ernesto Ciarla (1887-1965), an Italian sculptor and artist who was known for his works in bronze and marble, many of which can be found in public spaces and museums throughout Italy.
The surname "CIARLA" has also been associated with various place names and locations in Italy, such as the town of Ciarla in the province of Potenza, Basilicata, and the village of Ciarla in the province of Chieti, Abruzzo. These place names may have originated from individuals with the surname "CIARLA" who lived or owned land in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ciarla
Among Census respondents with the surname Ciarla, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ciarla 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 Ciarla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ciarla
Ciarla appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-6 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,223 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 3,223 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 Ciarla 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 | #151,532 | #154,755 | -2.1% |
| Count | 108 | 102 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ciarla bearers went from 108 to 102 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 3,223 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #154,755.
FAQ
Ciarla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ciarla?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Ciarla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Ciarla?
Ciarla ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 102 people with the surname Ciarla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ciarla.
Has Ciarla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ciarla went from 108 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Ciarla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ciarla, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%) 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 Ciarla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ciarla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%), 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 Ciarla (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 Ciarla mean?
An Italian surname derived from the word "ciarla" meaning chatter or gossip. 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 Ciarla (0.03 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 Ciarla?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.