Find out how popular the last name Fabella is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Fabella.

Fabella, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Fabella surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fabella in America

Fabella is the 72332nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fabella surname appeared 269 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Fabella.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fabella to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Fabella

The surname Fabella is of Italian origin, tracing its roots back to the regions of Tuscany and Umbria during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "fabella," which translates to "little bean" or "small fable." This linguistic connection suggests that the name may have initially been bestowed upon individuals involved in agricultural pursuits or those known for their storytelling abilities.

Early records indicate that the Fabella surname first emerged in the 13th century, with mentions scattered throughout various municipal archives and ecclesiastical registers. One notable instance is its appearance in the 1291 tax rolls of the city of Perugia, where a certain Giacomo Fabella is listed as a landowner.

As the name spread across the Italian peninsula, it underwent minor variations in spelling, such as Fabelli, Fabellini, and Fabelloni. These alterations were often influenced by regional dialects and the scribes tasked with transcribing the name in official documents.

In the 14th century, the Fabella family gained prominence in the city of Siena, where they were involved in the wool trade and held influential positions within the local guilds. One notable figure from this era was Pietro Fabella (c. 1320-1391), a successful merchant and philanthropist who endowed several charitable institutions in the city.

The 16th century saw the emergence of another prominent Fabella, Francesco Fabella (1528-1592), a renowned jurist and legal scholar from Perugia. His treatises on canon law and jurisprudence were widely studied and cited throughout Europe.

During the Renaissance period, the Fabella name also graced the arts, with the painter Giovanni Battista Fabella (1570-1638) gaining recognition for his religious works adorning churches in Rome and Florence.

As the centuries progressed, the Fabella surname continued to spread across Italy, with various branches establishing themselves in different regions. For instance, the Fabella family of Naples produced several notable figures, including the philosopher Giambattista Fabella (1718-1784) and the botanist Domenico Fabella (1765-1832), who contributed significantly to the study of Mediterranean flora.

Other notable individuals bearing the Fabella surname include the 19th-century playwright and poet Raffaele Fabella (1808-1873), whose works explored the themes of love, patriotism, and social commentary, and the 20th-century architect Antonio Fabella (1901-1972), whose innovative designs helped shape the modern cityscape of Milan.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fabella

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Fabella.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Fabella was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Fabella has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Fabella was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Fabella, please contact us.

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