2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cortellessa
A surname originating from an Italian place name referring to someone from Cortellessa.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Cortellessa. 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 Cortellessa 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 Cortellessa 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 Cortellessa, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cortellessa
The surname Cortellessa finds its origins in Italy, specifically in the region of Campania, which includes the city of Naples. It is believed to have emerged sometime around the 12th or 13th century.
Cortellessa is derived from the Italian word "cortella," meaning a small knife or dagger. This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who worked with knives or daggers, such as a cutler or a soldier.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a document from the mid-13th century, which mentions a certain Matteo Cortellessa, a blacksmith residing in the town of Salerno. This document provides evidence of the name's existence during that time period.
The name Cortellessa has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was Gian Battista Cortellessa, a 16th-century Italian painter who was active in Naples and known for his religious works. Another was Tommaso Cortellessa, a 17th-century scholar and author from the city of Benevento, who wrote extensively on philosophy and theology.
In the 18th century, a family by the name of Cortellessa held significant influence in the town of Avellino, with several members serving as local officials and landowners. One of the most prominent among them was Giuseppe Cortellessa (1725-1798), who was a respected lawyer and magistrate.
Another noteworthy individual with the surname Cortellessa was Vincenzo Cortellessa (1824-1899), a 19th-century poet and writer from Naples. He was renowned for his contributions to the Neapolitan literary tradition and his works celebrating the city's culture and dialect.
While the name Cortellessa may have originated as a descriptive nickname related to knives or daggers, it eventually became a well-established surname in various parts of Italy, particularly in the regions of Campania and Basilicata.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cortellessa
Among Census respondents with the surname Cortellessa, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Cortellessa 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 Cortellessa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.1% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 4
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cortellessa
Cortellessa 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,744 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 597 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,744 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 597 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 Cortellessa 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 | #151,532 | #150,935 | 0.4% |
| Count | 108 | 108 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cortellessa bearers went from 108 to 108 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 597 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #150,935.
FAQ
Cortellessa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cortellessa?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Cortellessa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Cortellessa?
Cortellessa 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 Cortellessa. 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 Cortellessa.
Has Cortellessa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cortellessa went from 108 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Cortellessa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cortellessa, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cortellessa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cortellessa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.1%), Hispanic (5.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%). 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 Cortellessa (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 Cortellessa mean?
A surname originating from an Italian place name referring to someone from Cortellessa. 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 Cortellessa (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 Cortellessa?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Cortellessa, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.