2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Merulla
A surname of Italian origin possibly derived from the Italian word "merula" meaning blackbird.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Merulla. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Merulla 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
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Merulla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Merulla, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Merulla
The surname Merulla has its origins in Italy, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "merula," meaning "blackbird." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname or a descriptive term for someone with dark hair or complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Merulla name can be found in a document from the 13th century in the region of Tuscany, Italy. This document mentions a family with the surname Merulla residing in the city of Florence. It is possible that the name was initially associated with a specific area or town within Tuscany, but over time, it spread to other parts of Italy.
In the 14th century, the Merulla name appeared in historical records from the city of Naples, where a prominent family bore this surname. One notable member was Girolamo Merulla, a Renaissance scholar and humanist born in Naples around 1420. He was known for his work in translating ancient Greek texts into Latin and his contributions to the study of classical literature.
Another significant figure with the Merulla surname was Gaudenzio Merulla, an Italian painter born in Novara in the late 15th century. He is renowned for his works in fresco painting and his contributions to the artistic traditions of the Renaissance era in northern Italy.
In the 16th century, the Merulla name gained prominence in the city of Milan, where a family of lawyers and scholars held influential positions. One member, Gaspare Merulla, born around 1550, was a respected jurist and author who wrote extensively on legal matters and civil law.
The Merulla surname also has ties to the island of Sicily, where it can be traced back to the town of Messina. In the late 17th century, a family with the Merulla name held landholdings and played a role in the local affairs of the region.
Throughout its history, the Merulla surname has been associated with various notable individuals across different fields, including the arts, literature, law, and academia. While the name may have originated as a descriptive term, it has evolved to become a distinguished surname with deep roots in Italian history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Merulla
Among Census respondents with the surname Merulla, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Merulla 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 Merulla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Merulla
Merulla 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-5 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 15,446 places
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-5 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 965 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 15,446 places |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.9%) | Up 965 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 Merulla 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 | #157,234 | #156,269 | 0.6% |
| Count | 103 | 98 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Merulla bearers went from 103 to 98 (-4.9% change). The surname moved up 965 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #156,269.
FAQ
Merulla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Merulla?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Merulla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Merulla?
Merulla ranks #156,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 98 people with the surname Merulla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Merulla.
Has Merulla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Merulla went from 103 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Merulla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Merulla, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Merulla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Merulla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (5.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Merulla (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 Merulla mean?
A surname of Italian origin possibly derived from the Italian word "merula" meaning blackbird. 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 Merulla (0.03 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 Merulla?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.