2000
#18,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,374
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.51
Rare Last name
Ciulla
An Italian surname derived from the Sicilian word "ciulla" meaning a young girl.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,649 Americans carry the last name Ciulla. That puts it at #18,916 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 207,856 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ciulla 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
1.6K
1 in 207,856
Census rank
#18,916
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,438 bearers of the surname Ciulla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18916th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ciulla, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ciulla
The surname Ciulla has its origins in Italy. It is derived from the Latin word "cyllus," which means "small hill" or "mound." This name first emerged in Sicily during the Middle Ages, where it was likely a descriptive name given to someone who lived near a small hill or mound.
Ciulla is a variation of the Italian surname Ciullo, which can be traced back to the 13th century. One of the earliest recorded instances of this name is found in a document from the town of Palermo in 1283, where a certain Ruggero Ciullo is mentioned.
Throughout the centuries, the name Ciulla has been associated with several notable individuals. In the 16th century, there was a Sicilian painter named Vincenzo Ciulla (c. 1530–1590) who was known for his religious works. Another notable bearer of this name was Giuseppe Ciulla (1836–1916), an Italian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Italian Parliament.
The surname Ciulla can also be found in old records from other parts of Italy, such as Calabria and Campania. For example, in the 17th century, there was a Calabrian nobleman named Vincenzo Ciulla who owned lands in the town of Cosenza.
In the 19th century, the name Ciulla appeared in several literary works, including a novel by the Italian writer Giovanni Verga titled "I Malavoglia" (The House by the Medlar Tree), published in 1881. One of the characters in this novel is named Padron 'Ntoni Ciulla.
Other notable individuals with the surname Ciulla include Francesco Ciulla (1866–1935), an Italian philosopher and writer, and Sebastiano Ciulla (1888–1973), an Italian businessman and philanthropist who founded the Ciulla Foundation in Palermo.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ciulla
Among Census respondents with the surname Ciulla, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Ciulla 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 Ciulla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 1,322
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 60
- Two or more races3.1% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 6
- Black or African American0.3% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ciulla
Ciulla 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
#18,867
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,449
+75 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.49
Rank movement Down 341 places
2020
#18,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,438
-11 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Down 49 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,526 | 1,374 | 0.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,867 | 1,449 | 0.49 | +75 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 341 places |
| 2020 | #18,916 | 1,438 | 0.48 | -11 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 49 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 Ciulla 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 | #18,867 | #18,916 | -0.3% |
| Count | 1,449 | 1,438 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.49 | 0.48 | -1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ciulla bearers went from 1,449 to 1,438 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 49 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,867 to #18,916.
FAQ
Ciulla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ciulla?
Name Census estimates that about 1,649 living Americans carry the surname Ciulla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 207,856 residents.
How common is Ciulla?
Ciulla ranks #18,916 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.48 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 1,438 people with the surname Ciulla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,649), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.48 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 Ciulla.
Has Ciulla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ciulla went from 1,449 recorded bearers to 1,438. That is a decrease of 11 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #18,867 to #18,916.
What does the Census say about the background of Ciulla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ciulla, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Ciulla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (1,322 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ciulla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Ciulla (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 Ciulla mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Sicilian word "ciulla" meaning a young girl. 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 Ciulla (0.48 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 Ciulla?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.