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

Molla, 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 Molla surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Molla in America

Molla is the 30420th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Molla surname appeared 768 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 Molla.

We can also compare 2010 data for Molla 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 Molla

The surname Molla is of Italian origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "molla," which means "spring" or "coil," potentially referring to a person's occupation or place of residence near a spring or coiled river.

The earliest known records of the Molla surname can be found in various regions of Italy, particularly in the northern regions of Piedmont and Lombardy, as well as in the central regions of Tuscany and Umbria. One of the earliest documented instances of the name appears in a 14th-century manuscript from the city of Siena, where a certain Giovanni Molla is mentioned as a landowner.

During the Renaissance period, several notable figures bore the Molla surname. One of the most prominent was Gasparo Molla, a Venetian painter born in 1530, who was celebrated for his religious works and frescoes adorning churches throughout Italy. Another notable figure was Niccolò Molla, a 16th-century mathematician and astronomer from Brescia, who made significant contributions to the understanding of celestial mechanics.

In the 17th century, the Molla name gained prominence in the arts and literature. Pietro Molla, born in 1612 in Naples, was a renowned sculptor whose works can be found in various churches and palaces across Italy. Additionally, Giovanni Battista Molla, a Neapolitan writer and poet born in 1675, gained acclaim for his satirical works and commentary on societal issues of the time.

As the centuries progressed, the Molla surname continued to be associated with various professions and disciplines. In the 18th century, Antonio Molla, born in 1720 in Bologna, was a respected jurist and legal scholar who authored several influential treatises on civil law. Meanwhile, in the 19th century, Giuseppe Molla, born in 1825 in Milan, was a celebrated architect known for his contributions to the neo-Renaissance style in Italian architecture.

The Molla surname has also been documented in other regions of Europe, particularly in Spain and France, where it likely originated from Italian immigrants or descendants. However, its prevalence and historical significance remain most closely tied to its Italian roots.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Molla

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

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 Molla 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 Molla 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 Molla was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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