Find out how popular the last name Michelli is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Michelli.

Michelli, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Michelli surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Michelli in America

Michelli is the 39352nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Michelli surname appeared 559 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Michelli.

We can also compare 2010 data for Michelli to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Michelli

The surname Michelli has its origins in Italy, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is a patronymic surname derived from the given name Michele, the Italian form of Michael, which means "who is like God" in Hebrew. The name gained popularity during the Crusades when knights returning from the Holy Land named their children in honor of the Archangel Michael.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Michelli can be found in the archives of the Republic of Venice, where a certain Micheli de Michelli is mentioned in a document dated 1276. This suggests that the surname was already in use by the 13th century in the Venetian region.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in the historic records of Florence, where a prominent family bearing the surname Michelli played a significant role in the city's political and cultural life. Notably, Giovanni Michelli (1327-1399), a renowned Florentine jurist and statesman, served as the Gonfaloniere di Giustizia (Standard Bearer of Justice) in 1387.

During the Renaissance period, the Michelli name gained further prominence with the birth of the celebrated artist and architect Michelangelo Michelli (1475-1564), known for his masterpieces such as the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel and the sculpture of David. His extraordinary talent and contributions to art and architecture made him a revered figure in Italian history.

In the 17th century, the Michelli family established a presence in the Kingdom of Naples, where they were granted noble status. One of the notable figures from this branch was Don Cesare Michelli (1612-1678), a renowned military commander who distinguished himself in the Neapolitan Wars against the Spanish.

Another prominent individual bearing the Michelli surname was Vincenzo Michelli (1787-1859), an Italian composer and music theorist from Rome. His works, including operas and sacred music compositions, earned him recognition throughout the Italian states and beyond.

As the Michelli name spread across Italy, it also found its way to other regions, including the island of Sicily. Here, the Michelli family produced several prominent figures, such as Giuseppe Michelli (1839-1914), a Sicilian writer and historian who documented the rich cultural heritage of his native land.

While the Michelli surname has its roots firmly planted in Italian soil, it has since been carried to various parts of the world by migrants and descendants, contributing to the rich tapestry of global diversity.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Michelli

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Michelli.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Michelli was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Michelli has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Michelli was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Michelli, please contact us.

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