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

Morreale, 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 Morreale surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Morreale in America

Morreale is the 14014th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Morreale surname appeared 2,149 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Morreale.

We can also compare 2010 data for Morreale 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 Morreale

The surname Morreale originated in Sicily, Italy, and dates back to the medieval period. The name is derived from the Arabic word "mur'r," which means "bitter" or "sour," and may have been used to describe someone with a sour disposition or a person who worked with bitter herbs or citrus fruits.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Morreale can be found in historical documents from the 14th century, such as tax records and land registers. The name was particularly prevalent in the regions around Palermo and Trapani, where it is thought to have first emerged.

One of the earliest known references to the name Morreale appears in a 1382 census record from the town of Monreale, near Palermo. This document lists several families with the surname, suggesting it was already well-established in the area by that time.

In the 15th century, the name Morreale was also recorded in the annals of the Sicilian aristocracy. Notably, a nobleman named Vincenzo Morreale was mentioned in a 1488 document as a landowner in the province of Trapani.

As the Morreale family spread throughout Sicily and beyond, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Morrialle, Morreali, and Murriali. These variations reflect the regional dialects and linguistic influences of the areas where the name took root.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Morreale was Girolamo Morreale (1492-1556), a Sicilian jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in Palermo during the Renaissance era.

Another notable figure was Gaetano Morreale (1554-1623), a Sicilian painter and architect who designed several churches and palaces in Palermo and its surrounding areas.

In the 18th century, Antonio Morreale (1732-1798) was a prominent Sicilian composer and organist who wrote numerous sacred works and operas.

During the 19th century, Francesco Morreale (1809-1872) was a Sicilian politician and patriot who played a role in the Italian unification movement and served as a member of the Italian parliament.

More recently, Giuseppe Morreale (1900-1982) was a renowned Italian painter and sculptor from Sicily, known for his modernist works and contributions to the futurist movement.

Throughout history, the surname Morreale has maintained a strong presence in Italy, particularly in Sicily, as well as among Italian diaspora communities around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Morreale

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

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

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

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