2000
#102,173
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 163
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Modarelli
An Italian topographic surname possibly derived from place names referring to majestic hills or slopes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 201 Americans carry the last name Modarelli. That puts it at #108,023 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,705,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Modarelli 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
201
1 in 1,705,245
Census rank
#108,023
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
175
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 175 bearers of the surname Modarelli in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 108023rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Modarelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Modarelli
The surname Modarelli originated in Italy during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "modaro," which means "measure" or "measure of land." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked as a land surveyor or was involved in measuring and distributing land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Modarelli can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Longobardo, a collection of medieval documents from the Lombard period in Italy, dating back to the 8th century. The name appears in a document from the year 771, referring to a landowner named Adelberto Modarelli.
During the 13th century, the name Modarelli was prevalent in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria, particularly in the cities of Florence and Perugia. Records from this period show that several members of the Modarelli family held influential positions in the local government and participated in various guilds and trades.
In the 14th century, a notable figure with the surname Modarelli was Guido Modarelli, a renowned architect and engineer from Florence. He is credited with designing and overseeing the construction of several important buildings and structures in the city, including the Palazzo Vecchio and the fortifications of the Porta Romana.
The 16th century saw the rise of another prominent Modarelli, Pietro Modarelli, who was a respected scholar and writer from Perugia. He authored several works on philosophy, literature, and theology, and was considered a leading intellectual of his time.
In the 18th century, the Modarelli family expanded their influence beyond Italy. Giovanni Battista Modarelli, born in 1712, was a successful merchant and trader who established businesses in various European cities, including Marseille, Lisbon, and Amsterdam.
During the 19th century, the Modarelli name gained recognition in the field of medicine. Antonio Modarelli, born in 1826 in Naples, was a pioneering physician and researcher who made significant contributions to the study of infectious diseases and public health.
Throughout its history, the surname Modarelli has been associated with various place names and older spellings, such as Moderelli, Moderalli, and Moddarelli, reflecting regional variations and linguistic changes over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Modarelli
Among Census respondents with the surname Modarelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Modarelli 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 Modarelli surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 157
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 10
- Two or more races3.4% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Modarelli
Modarelli 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
#102,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 175
+12 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 515 places
2020
#108,023
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 175
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 5,335 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #102,173 | 163 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #102,688 | 175 | 0.06 | +12 bearers (+7.4%) | Down 515 places |
| 2020 | #108,023 | 175 | 0.06 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 5,335 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 Modarelli 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 | #102,688 | #108,023 | -5.2% |
| Count | 175 | 175 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Modarelli bearers went from 175 to 175 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 5,335 positions in the national ranking, going from #102,688 to #108,023.
FAQ
Modarelli surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Modarelli?
Name Census estimates that about 201 living Americans carry the surname Modarelli. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,705,245 residents.
How common is Modarelli?
Modarelli ranks #108,023 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 175 people with the surname Modarelli. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (201), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Modarelli.
Has Modarelli become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Modarelli went from 175 recorded bearers to 175. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #102,688 to #108,023.
What does the Census say about the background of Modarelli?
Among Census respondents with the surname Modarelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Modarelli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (157 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Modarelli appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (5.7%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Modarelli (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 Modarelli mean?
An Italian topographic surname possibly derived from place names referring to majestic hills or slopes. 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 Modarelli (0.06 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 Modarelli?
See how many Americans have the surname Modarelli on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.