2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Ianelli
An Italian surname representing someone from the town of Iano.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Ianelli. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ianelli 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Ianelli in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ianelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ianelli
The surname Ianelli originated in Italy, with roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin name "Ianuarius," which means "of January." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone born in the month of January or associated with that month in some way.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Ianelli can be found in medieval documents from the regions of Campania and Lazio in central and southern Italy. It is believed that the name may have originated in one of these areas, possibly as a nickname or a way to distinguish between individuals with the same first name.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Giovanni Ianelli, a merchant from Naples who lived in the 14th century. Historical records indicate that he was involved in trade with other Mediterranean ports and played a role in the city's economic development during that time.
Another notable figure with the surname Ianelli was Benedetto Ianelli, a 16th-century Italian painter from Naples. He is known for his religious works, including altarpieces and frescoes in various churches throughout the region.
In the 17th century, the Ianelli family produced several notable figures in the field of music. Francesco Ianelli (1625-1690) was a composer and organist who worked in Naples and Rome, while his brother Gennaro Ianelli (1630-1702) was a renowned violinist and composer who served at the court of the Medici family in Florence.
Moving into the 19th century, Giuseppe Ianelli (1810-1884) was an Italian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Italian Parliament and worked to promote the unification of Italy.
The name Ianelli has also been associated with certain place names in Italy, such as the town of Ianelli in the province of Avellino, which may have contributed to the spread and prevalence of the surname in that region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ianelli
Among Census respondents with the surname Ianelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ianelli 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 Ianelli surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.8% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ianelli
Ianelli 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-12 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,040 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 361 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 19,040 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Up 361 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 Ianelli 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 | #143,149 | #142,788 | 0.3% |
| Count | 116 | 119 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ianelli bearers went from 116 to 119 (+2.6% change). The surname moved up 361 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #142,788.
FAQ
Ianelli surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ianelli?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Ianelli. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Ianelli?
Ianelli ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Ianelli. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Ianelli.
Has Ianelli become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ianelli went from 116 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 3 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #143,149 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Ianelli?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ianelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Ianelli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ianelli appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.8%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Ianelli (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 Ianelli mean?
An Italian surname representing someone from the town of Iano. 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 Ianelli (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 people have the surname Ianelli?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.