2000
#6,949
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,450
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.65
Rare Last name
Marinelli
An Italian occupational surname referring to a mariner, sailor, or one who worked at sea.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,683 Americans carry the last name Marinelli. That puts it at #7,796 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,191 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marinelli 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Marinelli with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 73,191
Census rank
#7,796
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,084 bearers of the surname Marinelli in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7796th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marinelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marinelli
The surname Marinelli originates from Italy, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Italian word "marino," which means "sailor" or "seaman," indicating that the name likely arose among coastal communities or those involved in maritime activities.
The earliest known bearers of the name Marinelli can be found in historical records from the regions of Tuscany and Liguria, particularly in port cities like Genoa and Pisa. The name may also have roots in the Latin name "Marinus," which means "of the sea."
One of the earliest documented references to the Marinelli name appears in a 13th-century Pisan document, where a certain "Guido Marinelli" is mentioned as a merchant and ship owner. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the maritime trade by that time.
During the Renaissance period, the Marinelli family gained prominence in the Republic of Genoa, with members holding influential positions in the city's government and naval forces. Notably, Andrea Marinelli (1492-1564) served as a Genoese admiral and played a crucial role in the republic's maritime defense against Ottoman naval forces.
In the 16th century, the Marinelli name also appeared in the papal records of Rome, indicating the family's presence in the ecclesiastical circles of the time. One such figure was Cardinal Girolamo Marinelli (1490-1557), a prominent figure in the Catholic Church and a patron of the arts during the Renaissance.
Another notable bearer of the Marinelli surname was the Italian composer and organist Giovanni Battista Marinelli (1569-1635), who served as the organist and choirmaster at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City during the early 17th century.
In the realm of literature, the name Marinelli is associated with the Venetian playwright and librettist Jacopo Marinelli (1644-1696), who wrote several operas and plays that were performed in the theaters of Venice during the late 17th century.
Moving into the 19th century, the Marinelli name gained recognition in the field of science with the Italian chemist and physicist Giovanni Marinelli (1835-1892), who made significant contributions to the study of electromagnetism and the development of early electrical devices.
Throughout its history, the surname Marinelli has been closely tied to Italy's maritime traditions and has produced notable figures across various fields, from military and politics to arts and sciences, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the Italian peninsula.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marinelli
Among Census respondents with the surname Marinelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Marinelli 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 Marinelli surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 3,757
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 212
- Two or more races1.7% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 24
- Black or African American0.5% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marinelli
Marinelli 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
#7,430
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,483
+33 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 481 places
2020
#7,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,084
-399 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 366 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,949 | 4,450 | 1.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,430 | 4,483 | 1.52 | +33 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 481 places |
| 2020 | #7,796 | 4,084 | 1.37 | -399 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 366 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 Marinelli 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 | #7,430 | #7,796 | -4.9% |
| Count | 4,483 | 4,084 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.52 | 1.37 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marinelli bearers went from 4,483 to 4,084 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 366 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,430 to #7,796.
FAQ
Marinelli surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marinelli?
Name Census estimates that about 4,683 living Americans carry the surname Marinelli. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,191 residents.
How common is Marinelli?
Marinelli ranks #7,796 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.37 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 4,084 people with the surname Marinelli. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,683), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.37 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 Marinelli.
Has Marinelli become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marinelli went from 4,483 recorded bearers to 4,084. That is a decrease of 399 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,430 to #7,796.
What does the Census say about the background of Marinelli?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marinelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) 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 Marinelli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (3,757 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marinelli appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (5.2%), 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 Marinelli (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 Marinelli mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a mariner, sailor, or one who worked at sea. 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 Marinelli (1.37 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 are called Marinelli?
Find out how many people have the last name Marinelli on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.