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

Cilla, 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 Cilla surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cilla in America

Cilla is the 144141st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cilla surname appeared 115 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 Cilla.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cilla 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 Cilla

The surname Cilla has its origins in Italy, specifically in the region of Tuscany during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "cilla," meaning "cellar" or "underground storage room." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who worked in or maintained cellars.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Cilla can be found in the Florentine tax records of the 13th century, where a certain Iacopo Cilla was mentioned as a resident of the city. This indicates that the name was already in use during that time.

In the 14th century, the name appears in the records of the Republic of Siena, where a family bearing the surname Cilla was documented as landowners in the surrounding countryside. This provides evidence of the name's spread and establishment within the Tuscan region.

During the Renaissance period, the name Cilla gained further prominence with the birth of Bartolomeo Cilla (1460-1528), a Florentine painter and architect who was commissioned to design several notable buildings in his hometown, including the Church of San Salvatore al Monte.

Another notable figure carrying the Cilla surname was Girolamo Cilla (1585-1662), a Jesuit priest and scholar from Siena. He was renowned for his extensive writings on theology and philosophy, which were widely circulated throughout Europe during his lifetime.

In the 18th century, the name Cilla surfaced in the records of the Kingdom of Naples, where a certain Giuseppe Cilla (1720-1794) was a prominent lawyer and judge. He played a significant role in the legal reforms of the Neapolitan judicial system during the reign of King Ferdinand IV.

Moving to more recent times, the surname Cilla gained international recognition with the rise of the British singer and entertainer Cilla Black (1943-2015), who was born Priscilla White in Liverpool. Her stage name, Cilla, was initially a nickname derived from her first name, but it later became her professional moniker.

While Cilla Black's name was not directly related to the Italian surname, her widespread popularity and success as an entertainer helped to bring the name Cilla into the public consciousness, particularly in the English-speaking world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cilla

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

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

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

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