2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cornicelli
An Italian surname possibly derived from "corniciare" meaning to frame or decorate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Cornicelli. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cornicelli 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Cornicelli in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cornicelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cornicelli
The surname CORNICELLI has its origins in Italy, dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Italian word "corniola," which means "carnelian," a type of red-colored gemstone. The name likely originated in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria, where the word was commonly used.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a document from the city of Perugia, dated 1587, which mentions a certain "Giacomo Cornicelli." This suggests that the name may have been established in the area around that time.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various records from the town of Città di Castello, located in the province of Perugia. A notable figure from this period was Pietro Cornicelli, a renowned painter and architect who lived from 1615 to 1678.
Another significant figure bearing the name was Giovanna Cornicelli, a 16th-century Italian poet and humanist scholar. She was born in Piacenza in 1553 and gained recognition for her works, including a collection of poems titled "Rime."
During the 18th century, the name was found in the region of Abruzzo, specifically in the city of L'Aquila. One notable individual from this period was Antonio Cornicelli, a lawyer and political figure who lived from 1726 to 1798.
In the 19th century, the name appeared in various parts of Italy, including the regions of Lazio and Campania. Giuseppe Cornicelli, born in 1832 in Naples, was a prominent writer and journalist who contributed to several publications during his lifetime.
Throughout its history, the surname CORNICELLI has maintained a strong presence in various parts of Italy, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in fields such as art, literature, law, and journalism.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cornicelli
Among Census respondents with the surname Cornicelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cornicelli 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 Cornicelli surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 102
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cornicelli
Cornicelli 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
+18 bearers (+16.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,708 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-19 bearers (-15.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,887 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+16.5%) | Up 7,708 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-15.0%) | Down 17,887 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 Cornicelli 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 | #133,048 | #150,935 | -13.4% |
| Count | 127 | 108 | -15.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cornicelli bearers went from 127 to 108 (-15.0% change). The surname moved down 17,887 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #150,935.
FAQ
Cornicelli surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cornicelli?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Cornicelli. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Cornicelli?
Cornicelli ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Cornicelli. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Cornicelli.
Has Cornicelli become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cornicelli went from 127 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 19 (-15.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Cornicelli?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cornicelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) 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 Cornicelli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cornicelli appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Two or More Races (4.6%), 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 Cornicelli (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 Cornicelli mean?
An Italian surname possibly derived from "corniciare" meaning to frame or decorate. 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 Cornicelli (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 Cornicelli?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.