2000
#5,015
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,419
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.38
Rare Last name
Morelli
Derived from the Italian word "moro," meaning dark-haired or dark-skinned, and likely referring to a person with such features.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,000 Americans carry the last name Morelli. That puts it at #5,499 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,965 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morelli 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Morelli with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.0K
1 in 48,965
Census rank
#5,499
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,104 bearers of the surname Morelli in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5499th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Morelli
The surname Morelli originated in Italy, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Italian word "morello," meaning "dark-colored" or "blackish," which was likely used as a nickname or descriptive term for someone with dark hair or complexion.
Variants of the name, such as "Morello" and "Morel," can be found in historical records from various regions of Italy, particularly in the northern regions. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the 13th century in the city of Florence, where a certain Giovanni Morelli was mentioned in a document from 1272.
In the 14th century, the Morelli family gained prominence in the Republic of Venice, where they were actively involved in the city's political affairs. Notable members included Marco Morelli (1285-1348), a renowned Venetian statesman and diplomat, and Andrea Morelli (1308-1382), a respected jurist and legal scholar.
The name also appears in several historical manuscripts and records from other Italian cities, such as Genoa, Milan, and Rome. For instance, the Morelli family is mentioned in the "Codice Diplomatico Padovano" (Diplomatic Code of Padua) from the 13th century.
One of the most renowned figures associated with the surname Morelli was Giovanni Morelli (1816-1891), an Italian art historian and critic renowned for his contributions to the field of connoisseurship. He developed the "Morellian Method," a systematic approach to identifying the authorship of artworks based on the analysis of minor details and idiosyncrasies.
Another notable individual was Jacopo Morelli (1745-1819), an Italian librarian and scholar who served as the custodian of the Biblioteca Marciana in Venice. He was renowned for his extensive knowledge of ancient manuscripts and his contributions to the preservation of historical texts.
The Morelli name was also associated with several small towns and villages in Italy, such as Morelli in the province of Reggio Emilia and Morello, a frazione (subdivision) of the municipality of Sarsina in the province of Forlì-Cesena.
Throughout history, the surname Morelli has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, statesmen, and clergy members, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and diversity of Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morelli
Among Census respondents with the surname Morelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Morelli 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 Morelli surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 5,499
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 387
- Two or more races2.2% · 137
- Black or African American0.5% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morelli
Morelli 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
#5,333
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,532
+113 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 2.21
Rank movement Down 318 places
2020
#5,499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,104
-428 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Down 166 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,015 | 6,419 | 2.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,333 | 6,532 | 2.21 | +113 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 318 places |
| 2020 | #5,499 | 6,104 | 2.04 | -428 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 166 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 Morelli 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 | #5,333 | #5,499 | -3.1% |
| Count | 6,532 | 6,104 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.21 | 2.04 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morelli bearers went from 6,532 to 6,104 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 166 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,333 to #5,499.
FAQ
Morelli surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morelli?
Name Census estimates that about 7,000 living Americans carry the surname Morelli. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,965 residents.
How common is Morelli?
Morelli ranks #5,499 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,104 people with the surname Morelli. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,000), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Morelli.
Has Morelli become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morelli went from 6,532 recorded bearers to 6,104. That is a decrease of 428 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,333 to #5,499.
What does the Census say about the background of Morelli?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Morelli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (5,499 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morelli appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (6.3%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Morelli (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 Morelli mean?
Derived from the Italian word "moro," meaning dark-haired or dark-skinned, and likely referring to a person with such features. 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 Morelli (2.04 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 Morelli?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.