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

Ghirardelli, 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 Ghirardelli surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ghirardelli in America

Ghirardelli is the 159712th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ghirardelli surname appeared 101 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 Ghirardelli.

The history of the last name Ghirardelli

The surname GHIRARDELLI originated from Italy, specifically in the regions of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna during the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Italian personal name "Ghirardo," which itself may have come from the Germanic name "Gerhard" or "Gerard."

GHIRARDELLI was likely an occupational surname that referred to someone who made or sold ghirardellos, which were a type of ceramic vessel used for cooking and storage. The earliest known recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in documents from cities like Florence and Bologna.

One of the earliest known bearers of the GHIRARDELLI name was Giovanni Ghirardelli, a merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Lucca in the late 1300s. Records show he was involved in trade with other Italian cities as well as countries like France and Spain.

In the 15th century, the GHIRARDELLI family established themselves as prominent citizens and craftsmen in the city of Modena. Giacomo Ghirardelli, born in 1422, was a renowned ceramicist whose works were sought after by wealthy patrons across northern Italy.

Jumping ahead a few centuries, Domenico Ghirardelli, born in 1817 in Rapallo, Italy, immigrated to America in the mid-1800s during the California Gold Rush. He established the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company in San Francisco in 1852, which grew to become one of the oldest continuously operating chocolate companies in the United States.

Another notable bearer of the name was Giuseppe Ghirardelli, a 19th century architect from Milan who designed several churches and palaces in his home city as well as other towns in northern Italy. His most famous work is considered to be the Church of San Calimero, built in 1856.

The GHIRARDELLI surname remains most prevalent in Italy today, especially in the regions where it first appeared centuries ago, but it can also be found amongst the Italian diaspora communities around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ghirardelli

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

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 Ghirardelli 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.

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

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

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