2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Massarella
A surname of Italian origins meaning someone from the town of Massarella or Massareli.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Massarella. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Massarella 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 Massarella with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Massarella in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Massarella, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Massarella
The surname Massarella originated in Italy, with its earliest records dating back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "massaro," which referred to a steward or overseer of an estate or farm. This suggests that the name's origins may be linked to those who held such positions in rural areas of Italy.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Massarella can be found in the historic archives of the city of Naples, where a certain Nicola Massarella is mentioned in a document from the year 1376. This provides evidence that the name was present in the region of Campania during the late Middle Ages.
In the 16th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Italy, as evidenced by records from the city of Palermo in Sicily. Here, a Giovanni Massarella is listed as a landowner in a cadastral register from 1548, indicating that the name had gained prominence among the landowning class.
As the centuries progressed, the Massarella name continued to be associated with notable individuals. In the 18th century, Domenico Massarella (1718-1792) was a prominent Italian architect and engineer who contributed to the design of several churches and public buildings in Naples.
Another notable figure was Vincenzo Massarella (1829-1901), a Italian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies, representing the city of Bari in the late 19th century.
Moving into the 20th century, the Massarella name gained international recognition through the work of Mario Massarella (1914-1998), an Italian-American artist renowned for his vibrant figurative paintings and murals.
It is worth noting that variations of the name, such as Massarelli and Massarello, can be found throughout Italy, particularly in regions like Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna. These spelling differences likely emerged as the name spread across different dialects and regions over the centuries.
Overall, the surname Massarella has a rich history that spans several centuries and is deeply rooted in Italy's rural and urban landscapes. Its earliest associations with stewardship and land management have given way to a diverse array of individuals who have left their mark across various fields, from architecture and politics to the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Massarella
Among Census respondents with the surname Massarella, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Massarella 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 Massarella surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 99
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Massarella
Massarella 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+3 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,806 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-22 bearers (-17.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,133 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 5,806 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-17.2%) | Down 20,133 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 Massarella 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 | #132,206 | #152,339 | -15.2% |
| Count | 128 | 106 | -17.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Massarella bearers went from 128 to 106 (-17.2% change). The surname moved down 20,133 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #152,339.
FAQ
Massarella surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Massarella?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Massarella. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Massarella?
Massarella ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Massarella. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Massarella.
Has Massarella become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Massarella went from 128 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 22 (-17.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Massarella?
Among Census respondents with the surname Massarella, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Massarella in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Massarella appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Massarella (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 Massarella mean?
A surname of Italian origins meaning someone from the town of Massarella or Massareli. 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 Massarella (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 last name Massarella?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Massarella is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.