2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Micchelli
Italian surname meaning "the small Michael" or "son of little Michael".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Micchelli. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Micchelli 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Micchelli in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Micchelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Micchelli
The surname Micchelli originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "micca," meaning a small portion or a crumb, possibly referring to someone who earned a living by collecting or distributing small portions of something.
Micchelli is a variant spelling of the more common Italian surname Miccoli, which has roots in the central Italian regions of Tuscany and Umbria. Some of the earliest recorded instances of this name can be found in historical documents from the cities of Perugia and Arezzo, dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Micchelli name was Niccolò Miccoli, a prominent merchant and banker in the city of Siena during the late 14th century. His success in trade and finance allowed his family to acquire considerable wealth and influence in the region.
In the 15th century, the Micchelli name appeared in records from the town of Città di Castello in Umbria, where a family of that name held land and properties. One notable member was Giulio Micchelli, a respected lawyer and judge who served in the local courts during the 1470s.
The Micchelli surname also has ties to the city of Arezzo in Tuscany, where it was associated with a noble family that produced several influential figures in the Renaissance era. One such figure was Girolamo Micchelli, a renowned humanist scholar and poet who lived from 1508 to 1581.
In the 17th century, the Micchelli name gained prominence in the city of Naples, where a branch of the family settled and produced several notable individuals. One of them was Gennaro Micchelli, a renowned architect who designed several churches and palaces in the Baroque style, including the Church of San Gregorio Armeno, completed in 1639.
Throughout the centuries, the Micchelli name has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, writers, and intellectuals. In the 19th century, Giuseppe Micchelli (1834-1901) was a celebrated Italian painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes, while Vincenzo Micchelli (1863-1937) was a respected linguist and lexicographer who contributed to the study of the Italian language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Micchelli
Among Census respondents with the surname Micchelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Micchelli 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 Micchelli surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 95
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Micchelli
Micchelli 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,744 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-6 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,223 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 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,744 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 3,223 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 Micchelli 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 | #151,532 | #154,755 | -2.1% |
| Count | 108 | 102 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Micchelli bearers went from 108 to 102 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 3,223 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #154,755.
FAQ
Micchelli surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Micchelli?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Micchelli. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Micchelli?
Micchelli ranks #154,755 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 102 people with the surname Micchelli. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), 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 Micchelli.
Has Micchelli become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Micchelli went from 108 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Micchelli?
Among Census respondents with the surname Micchelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Micchelli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Micchelli appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Micchelli (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 Micchelli mean?
Italian surname meaning "the small Michael" or "son of little Michael". 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 Micchelli (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 Micchelli?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.