2000
#14,404
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,904
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Gardella
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who tended or worked in a garden or orchard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,960 Americans carry the last name Gardella. That puts it at #16,345 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 174,875 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gardella 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
2.0K
1 in 174,875
Census rank
#16,345
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,709 bearers of the surname Gardella in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16345th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gardella, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gardella
The surname Gardella originated in Italy. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "gardo," which means "garden" or "orchard." The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in the regions of Piedmont and Lombardy in northern Italy.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Giovanni Gardella, a prominent landowner and vineyard owner from the town of Asti in the Piedmont region. Records from the late 1200s mention him as one of the leading suppliers of wine to the local nobility.
In the 14th century, the name appears in several municipal records and tax rolls in the city of Milan, suggesting a presence of the Gardella family in the Lombardy region during that time period. One notable entry is of a Francesco Gardella, a well-respected merchant and banker who was involved in financing trade expeditions across the Mediterranean.
As the surname spread across Italy, variations in spelling emerged, including Gardeli, Gardelli, and Gardello. These were often influenced by local dialects and pronunciation patterns in different regions.
One of the most famous individuals with the Gardella surname was Ignazio Gardella (1905-1999), an architect from Milan who played a significant role in the modernist movement in Italy. His works include the Palazzo dei Giornali in Milan, which is considered a landmark of post-war Italian architecture.
Another notable figure was Alfredo Gardella (1875-1963), an Italian politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Public Works in the early 20th century. He was instrumental in initiating several infrastructure projects across the country.
In the 16th century, records show a branch of the Gardella family settling in the Veneto region, where they became involved in the silk trade. One of their descendants, Girolamo Gardella (1520-1592), was a prominent silk merchant and established a successful business exporting silk fabrics to other parts of Europe.
While the name Gardella has its roots in Italy, it eventually spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, its origins can be traced back to the northern regions of Italy and its connection to the agricultural and horticultural heritage of the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gardella
Among Census respondents with the surname Gardella, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gardella 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 Gardella surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 1,558
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 84
- Two or more races2.6% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 15
- Black or African American0.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gardella
Gardella 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
#14,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,150
+246 bearers (+12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 398 places
2020
#16,345
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,709
-441 bearers (-20.5%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Down 2,339 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,404 | 1,904 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,006 | 2,150 | 0.73 | +246 bearers (+12.9%) | Up 398 places |
| 2020 | #16,345 | 1,709 | 0.57 | -441 bearers (-20.5%) | Down 2,339 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 Gardella 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 | #14,006 | #16,345 | -16.7% |
| Count | 2,150 | 1,709 | -20.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.57 | -21.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gardella bearers went from 2,150 to 1,709 (-20.5% change). The surname moved down 2,339 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,006 to #16,345.
FAQ
Gardella surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gardella?
Name Census estimates that about 1,960 living Americans carry the surname Gardella. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 174,875 residents.
How common is Gardella?
Gardella ranks #16,345 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.57 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 1,709 people with the surname Gardella. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,960), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.57 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 Gardella.
Has Gardella become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gardella went from 2,150 recorded bearers to 1,709. That is a decrease of 441 (-20.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,006 to #16,345.
What does the Census say about the background of Gardella?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gardella, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Gardella in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (1,558 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gardella appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (4.9%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Gardella (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 Gardella mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who tended or worked in a garden or orchard. 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 Gardella (0.57 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 share the surname Gardella?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.