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

Forcella, 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 Forcella surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Forcella in America

Forcella is the 85659th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Forcella surname appeared 218 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 Forcella.

We can also compare 2010 data for Forcella 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 Forcella

The surname Forcella has its origins in Italy, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "furca," meaning "fork," and may have been an occupational name for someone who worked with forks or pitchforks, perhaps a farmer or a miller. The name is also thought to be connected to the Italian word "forcella," meaning "a small fork" or "a forked piece of wood or metal."

One of the earliest known bearers of the Forcella name was Giacomo Forcella, a merchant from the town of Forcella in the Abruzzo region of central Italy, who was mentioned in a document dated 1287. This suggests that the name may have originated as a locational surname for someone from the town of Forcella, which itself likely took its name from the forked shape of the surrounding landscape or the convergence of two rivers or valleys.

In the 14th century, the Forcella name appeared in historical records from the city of Naples, where a prominent family bearing the name was involved in local politics and trade. One notable member was Francesco Forcella, a wealthy merchant and landowner who served as a city councilor in the 1360s.

During the Renaissance period, the Forcella name gained further recognition with the birth of Vincenzo Forcella (1460-1520), a renowned artist and architect from the town of Forcella in Abruzzo. Some of his most notable works include the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Ortona and the Palazzo Forcella in his hometown.

Another significant figure was Giovanni Battista Forcella (1592-1673), a celebrated jurist and legal scholar from Naples who served as a judge in the city's high court. He authored several influential treatises on criminal law and judicial procedure that were widely studied throughout Europe.

In the 18th century, the Forcella name appeared in the southern Italian region of Calabria, where a family of landowners and merchants thrived. One of its members, Antonio Forcella (1718-1791), was a wealthy merchant and philanthropist who funded the construction of a hospital and a school in his hometown of Reggio Calabria.

Throughout its history, the Forcella surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, from artisans and merchants to lawyers and scholars, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of its bearers across different regions of Italy over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Forcella

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

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 Forcella 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 Forcella 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 Forcella was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!