2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Comellas
A Catalan surname derived from the Latin word "cumulus," meaning "heap" or "pile."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Comellas. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Comellas 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Comellas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Comellas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 71.8%. The next largest groups are White (26.5%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Comellas
The surname COMELLAS is of Spanish origin, having its roots in the Catalonia region of Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Catalan word "comella," which refers to a small valley or a ravine. This suggests that the name likely originated as a locational surname, referring to individuals or families who resided in or near such geographical features.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name COMELLAS can be found in the Catalan Revisions of 1497, a collection of documents detailing the population and landholdings of various Catalan municipalities. The name appears in several villages and townships, indicating its widespread presence in the region during that time.
In the 16th century, the COMELLAS name surfaces in the records of the Inquisition in Barcelona. While the specific details are scarce, this reference suggests that individuals bearing this surname were part of the sociopolitical landscape of the time.
Notable individuals with the surname COMELLAS include Francesc de Comellas (1600-1678), a prominent Catalan merchant and landowner whose business dealings were documented in various commercial records of the era. Another individual of note is Joan Comellas i Brunet (1822-1898), a Catalan lawyer and politician who served as a deputy in the Spanish Parliament during the latter half of the 19th century.
Moving forward in time, Josep Comellas i Cluet (1868-1958) was a renowned Catalan architect and urban planner, responsible for designing several iconic buildings and urban projects in Barcelona and its surrounding areas.
In the realm of literature, the name COMELLAS is represented by the Catalan writer and journalist Josep Maria Comellas i Maristany (1924-2016), whose works chronicled the cultural and social aspects of Catalonia in the 20th century.
Lastly, a more contemporary figure is Josep Comellas i Novell (1944-2022), a celebrated Catalan linguist and academic who made significant contributions to the study and preservation of the Catalan language and its dialects.
These examples showcase the enduring presence of the COMELLAS surname throughout the history of Catalonia and Spain, spanning various fields and professions over multiple centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Comellas
Among Census respondents with the surname Comellas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 71.8%. The next largest groups are White (26.5%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Comellas 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 Comellas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino71.8% · 84
- White26.5% · 31
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Comellas
Comellas 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
+12 bearers (+9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 1,370 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-16 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,021 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | +12 bearers (+9.9%) | Up 1,370 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 16,021 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 Comellas 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 | #128,249 | #144,270 | -12.5% |
| Count | 133 | 117 | -12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Comellas bearers went from 133 to 117 (-12.0% change). The surname moved down 16,021 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #144,270.
FAQ
Comellas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Comellas?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Comellas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Comellas?
Comellas ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Comellas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Comellas.
Has Comellas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Comellas went from 133 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 16 (-12.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Comellas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Comellas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 71.8%. The next largest groups are White (26.5%) and Black (1.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Comellas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.8% (84 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Comellas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (71.8%), White (26.5%), Black (1.7%). 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 Comellas (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 Comellas mean?
A Catalan surname derived from the Latin word "cumulus," meaning "heap" or "pile." 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 Comellas (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 surname Comellas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.