2000
#108,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 151
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Garamella
An Italian surname derived from the Sicilian word "garamella" meaning swindler or cheat.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Garamella. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garamella 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Garamella in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garamella, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garamella
The surname Garamella originated in Italy, specifically in the region of Lombardy, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "garamella," which refers to a small, cylindrical drum or fife used in military bands. This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon a musician or someone associated with military affairs.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Garamella can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Cava de' Tirreni monastery in Campania, dated around the 11th century. This document mentions a certain "Petrus Garamella" from the town of Salerno.
In the 13th century, the name appears in the Codice Diplomatico della Lombardia Medievale, a compilation of historical records from medieval Lombardy. A "Guilielmus Garamella" is listed as a landowner in the town of Brescia during this time period.
A notable bearer of the Garamella name was Antonio Garamella, a 15th-century lawyer and diplomat from Milan. He served as a legal advisor to the Visconti and Sforza families, two influential noble houses that ruled over the Duchy of Milan.
In the 16th century, a certain Giovanni Battista Garamella (1510-1578) gained recognition as a skilled architect and sculptor in the city of Bologna. He is credited with designing several churches and public buildings that still stand today.
Another prominent figure was Francesco Garamella (1675-1745), a Neapolitan painter known for his religious-themed works. Several of his paintings can be found in churches throughout Naples and the surrounding areas.
The Garamella surname has also been associated with several notable place names in Italy. For instance, the village of Garamella in the province of Catanzaro, Calabria, likely derived its name from a family bearing this surname who settled in the area.
While the Garamella surname is not among the most common Italian surnames, it has persisted throughout the centuries, with bearers making contributions in various fields, from law and diplomacy to architecture and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garamella
Among Census respondents with the surname Garamella, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Garamella 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 Garamella surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 109
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garamella
Garamella 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
#116,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 150
-1 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 7,467 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-35 bearers (-23.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 29,556 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #108,734 | 151 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #116,201 | 150 | 0.05 | -1 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 7,467 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -35 bearers (-23.3%) | Down 29,556 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 Garamella 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 | #116,201 | #145,757 | -25.4% |
| Count | 150 | 115 | -23.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garamella bearers went from 150 to 115 (-23.3% change). The surname moved down 29,556 positions in the national ranking, going from #116,201 to #145,757.
FAQ
Garamella surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garamella?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Garamella. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Garamella?
Garamella ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Garamella. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Garamella.
Has Garamella become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garamella went from 150 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 35 (-23.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #116,201 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Garamella?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garamella, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (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 Garamella in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garamella appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (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 Garamella (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 Garamella mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Sicilian word "garamella" meaning swindler or cheat. 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 Garamella (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 Americans have the surname Garamella?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.