2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cilla
Nickname surname derived from the Spanish name Cecilia.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Cilla. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cilla 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Cilla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cilla, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.0%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cilla
Among Census respondents with the surname Cilla, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.0%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cilla 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 Cilla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.1% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino16.0% · 17
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cilla
Cilla 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+11 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,870 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-9 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,198 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 1,870 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 8,198 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 Cilla 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 | #144,141 | #152,339 | -5.7% |
| Count | 115 | 106 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cilla bearers went from 115 to 106 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 8,198 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #152,339.
FAQ
Cilla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cilla?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Cilla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Cilla?
Cilla ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 106 people with the surname Cilla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Cilla.
Has Cilla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cilla went from 115 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Cilla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cilla, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.0%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Cilla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.1% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cilla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.1%), Hispanic (16.0%), Black (0.9%). 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 Cilla (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 Cilla mean?
Nickname surname derived from the Spanish name Cecilia. 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 Cilla (0.04 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 many people have the last name Cilla?
Find out how many people have the last name Cilla on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.