2000
#12,698
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,234
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Dibella
An Italian toponymic surname referring to someone from a place called Bella or a variant of the surname Bella.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,166 Americans carry the last name Dibella. That puts it at #15,014 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 158,243 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dibella 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
2.2K
1 in 158,243
Census rank
#15,014
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,889 bearers of the surname Dibella in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15014th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dibella, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dibella
The surname DiBella has its origins in Italy, specifically in the southern regions of Campania and Sicily, where it first emerged in the medieval period. The name is believed to be derived from the Italian phrase "di bella," meaning "of beauty" or "beautiful," potentially referring to a physical attribute or a place of origin known for its beauty.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DiBella can be found in the Sicilian town of Casteltermini, where a family with this surname was documented in the 14th century. The name was also present in the historical records of Naples and its surrounding areas during the same time period.
In the 15th century, the name DiBella appeared in several notarial documents and property records in the city of Palermo, Sicily. It is possible that the name was associated with a specific location or landmark in the area that was considered beautiful or aesthetically pleasing.
A notable individual bearing the surname DiBella was Francesco DiBella, a renowned painter from Naples who lived in the late 16th century. He was known for his religious works and frescoes adorning churches throughout the region.
In the 17th century, the DiBella family was prominent in the town of Monreale, near Palermo, where they owned vineyards and estates. One member of the family, Giuseppe DiBella (1620-1687), was a respected wine merchant and landowner.
Another significant figure was Antonio DiBella (1753-1824), a mathematician and astronomer from Palermo. He made important contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and was a member of the prestigious Accademia delle Scienze, Lettere e Arti di Palermo.
During the 19th century, the surname DiBella spread beyond Italy as many Italians emigrated to other parts of the world. One notable individual was Vincenzo DiBella (1845-1912), a stonemason from Campobello di Mazara, Sicily, who immigrated to the United States and helped construct several landmark buildings in New York City.
Variations of the spelling, such as DiBello, DiBello, and DiPella, can also be found in historical records, reflecting regional dialects and phonetic adaptations over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dibella
Among Census respondents with the surname Dibella, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Dibella 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 Dibella surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 1,714
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 118
- Two or more races1.4% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 15
- Black or African American0.7% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dibella
Dibella 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
#13,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,271
+37 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 720 places
2020
#15,014
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,889
-382 bearers (-16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 1,596 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,698 | 2,234 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,418 | 2,271 | 0.77 | +37 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 720 places |
| 2020 | #15,014 | 1,889 | 0.63 | -382 bearers (-16.8%) | Down 1,596 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 Dibella 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 | #13,418 | #15,014 | -11.9% |
| Count | 2,271 | 1,889 | -16.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.63 | -17.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dibella bearers went from 2,271 to 1,889 (-16.8% change). The surname moved down 1,596 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,418 to #15,014.
FAQ
Dibella surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dibella?
Name Census estimates that about 2,166 living Americans carry the surname Dibella. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 158,243 residents.
How common is Dibella?
Dibella ranks #15,014 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,889 people with the surname Dibella. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,166), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Dibella.
Has Dibella become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dibella went from 2,271 recorded bearers to 1,889. That is a decrease of 382 (-16.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,418 to #15,014.
What does the Census say about the background of Dibella?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dibella, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Dibella in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (1,714 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dibella appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (6.2%), Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Dibella (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 Dibella mean?
An Italian toponymic surname referring to someone from a place called Bella or a variant of the surname Bella. 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 Dibella (0.63 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 are called Dibella?
See how many people are called Dibella on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.