2000
#11,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,633
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Cipolla
An Italian occupational surname referring to an onion grower or seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,800 Americans carry the last name Cipolla. That puts it at #12,175 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,412 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cipolla 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
2.8K
1 in 122,412
Census rank
#12,175
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,442 bearers of the surname Cipolla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12175th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cipolla, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cipolla
The surname Cipolla has its origins in Italy, specifically in the region of Campania. It dates back to the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "cipolla," which means "onion." This suggests that the original bearers of the surname may have been onion farmers or merchants.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Cipolla can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of documents from the Abbey of Cava in Campania, dating back to the 12th century. The Codex mentions a certain Matteo Cipolla, who was involved in a land transaction in the year 1157.
In the 13th century, there are records of a nobleman named Goffredo Cipolla, who was a member of the court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. Goffredo was born in Salerno, Campania, around 1210 and served as a diplomat and ambassador for the Emperor.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure with the surname Cipolla was Ercole Cipolla, a scholar and humanist who lived in the late 15th century. He was born in Verona around 1450 and was known for his work in the fields of literature and philosophy.
In the 16th century, Bartolomeo Cipolla was a renowned Italian architect and engineer. He was born in Castel Goffredo, Lombardy, in 1529 and is best known for his work on the fortifications of the city of Bergamo.
Another historical figure with the surname Cipolla was Giovanni Battista Cipolla, a Catholic prelate who lived in the 18th century. He was born in Naples in 1723 and served as the Archbishop of Muro Lucano from 1783 until his death in 1796.
While the surname Cipolla is most commonly associated with Italy, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to immigration. However, this detailed report focuses solely on the historical origins and notable bearers of the surname within its Italian context.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cipolla
Among Census respondents with the surname Cipolla, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Cipolla 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 Cipolla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 2,231
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 143
- Two or more races1.6% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
- Black or African American0.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cipolla
Cipolla 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
#11,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,658
+25 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 711 places
2020
#12,175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,442
-216 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 386 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,078 | 2,633 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,789 | 2,658 | 0.90 | +25 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 711 places |
| 2020 | #12,175 | 2,442 | 0.82 | -216 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 386 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 Cipolla 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 | #11,789 | #12,175 | -3.3% |
| Count | 2,658 | 2,442 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.82 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cipolla bearers went from 2,658 to 2,442 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 386 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,789 to #12,175.
FAQ
Cipolla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cipolla?
Name Census estimates that about 2,800 living Americans carry the surname Cipolla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,412 residents.
How common is Cipolla?
Cipolla ranks #12,175 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,442 people with the surname Cipolla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,800), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Cipolla.
Has Cipolla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cipolla went from 2,658 recorded bearers to 2,442. That is a decrease of 216 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,789 to #12,175.
What does the Census say about the background of Cipolla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cipolla, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Cipolla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (2,231 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cipolla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (5.9%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Cipolla (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 Cipolla mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to an onion grower or seller. 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 Cipolla (0.82 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 Cipolla?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.