2000
#6,404
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,895
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.81
Rare Last name
Martinelli
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who makes or sells hammers or other tools.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,331 Americans carry the last name Martinelli. That puts it at #6,964 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,295 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Martinelli 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 Martinelli with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 64,295
Census rank
#6,964
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,649 bearers of the surname Martinelli in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6964th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Martinelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Martinelli
The surname Martinelli has its roots in Italy, originating in the medieval period. It is a patronymic name derived from the personal name Martino, which is the Italian form of the Latin name Martinus. This name ultimately traces its origins back to the Roman god Mars, the god of war.
The Martinelli surname first emerged in the regions of Tuscany and Lombardy, where it was particularly prevalent. It is believed that the name may have been associated with the trade of blacksmithing or metalworking, as these professions were often linked to Mars, the god of war.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Martinelli name can be found in the 13th century, when a Giacomo Martinelli is mentioned in the records of the city of Florence. In the 14th century, the name appears in the historic chronicles of the city of Siena, where a Guido Martinelli is documented as a prominent citizen.
During the Renaissance period, the Martinelli family gained prominence in various Italian cities. In the 15th century, a notable figure was Antonio Martinelli (1445-1515), a renowned architect from Siena who designed several churches and palaces in his hometown.
Another notable Martinelli was Vincenzo Martinelli (1590-1659), a Jesuit scholar and historian from Genoa. He authored several works on the history of the Jesuit order and the lives of saints.
In the 18th century, Sebastiano Martinelli (1701-1777) was a celebrated mathematician and astronomer from Bologna. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and was a member of the prestigious Accademia delle Scienze dell'Istituto di Bologna.
The Martinelli surname also gained prominence in the arts. In the 19th century, Giuseppe Martinelli (1833-1887) was a renowned Italian painter from Naples, known for his depictions of historical and religious scenes.
Throughout its history, the Martinelli surname has been associated with various professions, from artisans and scholars to artists and scientists, reflecting the diverse talents and contributions of those who have carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Martinelli
Among Census respondents with the surname Martinelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Martinelli 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 Martinelli surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 4,169
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 276
- Two or more races2.6% · 123
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 40
- Black or African American0.6% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Martinelli
Martinelli 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
#6,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,099
+204 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Down 236 places
2020
#6,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,649
-450 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Down 324 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,404 | 4,895 | 1.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,640 | 5,099 | 1.73 | +204 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 236 places |
| 2020 | #6,964 | 4,649 | 1.56 | -450 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 324 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 Martinelli 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 | #6,640 | #6,964 | -4.9% |
| Count | 5,099 | 4,649 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.73 | 1.56 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Martinelli bearers went from 5,099 to 4,649 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 324 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,640 to #6,964.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Martinelli
FAQ
Martinelli surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Martinelli?
Name Census estimates that about 5,331 living Americans carry the surname Martinelli. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,295 residents.
How common is Martinelli?
Martinelli ranks #6,964 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,649 people with the surname Martinelli. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,331), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Martinelli.
Has Martinelli become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Martinelli went from 5,099 recorded bearers to 4,649. That is a decrease of 450 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,640 to #6,964.
What does the Census say about the background of Martinelli?
Among Census respondents with the surname Martinelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Martinelli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (4,169 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Martinelli appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (5.9%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Martinelli (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 Martinelli mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who makes or sells hammers or other tools. 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 Martinelli (1.56 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 common is the surname Martinelli?
Want to know how many people are called Martinelli? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.