2000
#12,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,313
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Manzella
An Italian surname likely derived from a place name or a shortened form of the given name Manuele.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,433 Americans carry the last name Manzella. That puts it at #13,674 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Manzella 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
2.4K
1 in 140,877
Census rank
#13,674
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,122 bearers of the surname Manzella in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13674th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Manzella, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Manzella
The surname Manzella originates from Italy and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "manza," which means a young cow or heifer. The name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone who worked with cattle or lived near a cattle farm.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Manzella can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Siciliano, a collection of historical documents from Sicily, dating back to the 12th century. In these records, a person named Pietro Manzella is mentioned as a landowner in the town of Monreale.
During the Renaissance period, the Manzella family played a significant role in the cultural and political life of Italy. In the 15th century, Antonio Manzella (1420-1501) was a renowned humanist scholar and poet from Naples. His works, including sonnets and odes, were widely celebrated during his lifetime.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Manzella family settled in the city of Palermo, Sicily. One notable member was Francesco Manzella (1630-1712), a Baroque architect who designed several churches and palaces in Palermo, including the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Pietà and Palazzo Mango.
Moving forward to the 19th century, Giuseppe Manzella (1808-1888) was an Italian politician and statesman from Palermo. He served as the Minister of Public Works in the Kingdom of Italy and played a crucial role in the development of infrastructure projects across the country.
Another prominent figure with the surname Manzella was Luigi Manzella (1875-1957), an Italian composer and conductor from Naples. He composed several operas and orchestral works, and his compositions were performed throughout Europe during his lifetime.
While the Manzella surname is prevalent in Italy, particularly in the regions of Sicily and Campania, it has also been carried by Italian immigrants to various parts of the world, including the United States, Argentina, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Manzella
Among Census respondents with the surname Manzella, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Manzella 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 Manzella surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 1,971
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 84
- Two or more races2.3% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Manzella
Manzella 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
#11,733
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,671
+358 bearers (+15.5%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 594 places
2020
#13,674
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,122
-549 bearers (-20.6%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 1,941 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,327 | 2,313 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,733 | 2,671 | 0.91 | +358 bearers (+15.5%) | Up 594 places |
| 2020 | #13,674 | 2,122 | 0.71 | -549 bearers (-20.6%) | Down 1,941 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 Manzella 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 | #11,733 | #13,674 | -16.5% |
| Count | 2,671 | 2,122 | -20.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.71 | -22.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Manzella bearers went from 2,671 to 2,122 (-20.6% change). The surname moved down 1,941 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,733 to #13,674.
FAQ
Manzella surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Manzella?
Name Census estimates that about 2,433 living Americans carry the surname Manzella. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,877 residents.
How common is Manzella?
Manzella ranks #13,674 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,122 people with the surname Manzella. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,433), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Manzella.
Has Manzella become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Manzella went from 2,671 recorded bearers to 2,122. That is a decrease of 549 (-20.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,733 to #13,674.
What does the Census say about the background of Manzella?
Among Census respondents with the surname Manzella, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Manzella in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (1,971 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Manzella appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Manzella (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 Manzella mean?
An Italian surname likely derived from a place name or a shortened form of the given name Manuele. 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 Manzella (0.71 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 Manzella?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.