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

Gentili, 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 Gentili surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gentili in America

Gentili is the 97671st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gentili surname appeared 186 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 Gentili.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gentili 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 Gentili

The surname Gentili originated in Italy during the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Latin word "gentilis," which means "of the same family or clan." This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who belonged to a particular lineage or group.

The earliest known records of the Gentili surname can be found in various Italian documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is Dante Alighieri's "Divine Comedy," where a character named Gentile da Montefeltro is mentioned. Gentile da Montefeltro was an Italian nobleman and military leader who lived from around 1250 to 1312.

Another early reference to the Gentili name can be found in the writings of Giovanni Boccaccio, the famous Italian author and poet who lived from 1313 to 1375. In his work "Decameron," Boccaccio mentioned a character named Gentile Carisendi, who was a member of a prominent family in Bologna.

During the Renaissance period, several members of the Gentili family gained recognition for their scholarly achievements. One such individual was Alberico Gentili (1552-1608), an Italian jurist and writer who is considered a pioneer in the field of international law. He was born in San Ginesio, Marche, and his works, such as "De Iure Belli" (On the Law of War), had a significant impact on the development of legal principles.

Another notable figure with the Gentili surname was Scipione Gentili (1563-1616), an Italian Renaissance composer and music theorist. He was born in Ancona and is known for his contributions to the development of the madrigal form, as well as his treatise on music theory titled "Instruttione del Cantore" (Instruction for Singers).

In the 18th century, the Gentili name was associated with Antonio Gentili (1701-1766), an Italian painter and engraver from Ancona. He is known for his religious works and portraits, many of which can be found in churches and galleries throughout Italy.

Throughout history, the Gentili surname has been recorded with various spellings, including Gentile, Gentili, Gentileschi, and Gentilli. These variations often reflect regional dialects or the preferences of individual families. Additionally, the name has been linked to certain place names, such as the town of San Ginesio in the Marche region of Italy, where the Gentili family is believed to have originated.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gentili

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gentili, 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!