2000
#117,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Musillo
A surname of Italian origin meaning "small mouse".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Musillo. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Musillo 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Musillo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Musillo, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Musillo
The surname Musillo originated in Italy, specifically in the region of Calabria. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "musculus," meaning "small mouse." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person with a small or diminutive stature.
Records of the name Musillo can be traced back to the 13th century in the town of Reggio Calabria. Some of the earliest documented instances of the name appear in municipal archives and church records from that period.
In the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the name Musillo was Girolamo Musillo, a scholar and humanist born in Reggio Calabria around 1450. He was known for his work in translating classical Greek texts into Latin and his contributions to the Renaissance's intellectual movement.
Another historical figure with the surname Musillo was Pietro Musillo, a poet and philosopher from the town of Seminara in the 16th century. His works were widely acclaimed during his lifetime and helped to establish the cultural significance of the region.
During the 17th century, the name Musillo was associated with several notable figures in the religious and academic realms. One such individual was Francesco Musillo, a Jesuit priest and theologian who taught at various universities in Italy and authored several influential theological texts.
In the 18th century, the Musillo family appears to have expanded their presence beyond Calabria, with records indicating members residing in other parts of Italy, such as Naples and Rome. One notable individual from this period was Antonio Musillo, a painter and architect who contributed to the design of several churches and palaces in Naples.
By the 19th century, the name Musillo had spread to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas, likely due to immigration. One such individual was Giuseppe Musillo, an Italian-born sculptor who lived and worked in Argentina during the latter part of the century.
Throughout its history, the surname Musillo has maintained a strong association with its roots in the region of Calabria, while also becoming more widespread across Italy and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Musillo
Among Census respondents with the surname Musillo, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Musillo 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 Musillo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino9.2% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Musillo
Musillo 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
-10 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,510 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-7 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,001 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #117,538 | 137 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 15,510 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 9,001 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 Musillo 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 | #133,048 | #142,049 | -6.8% |
| Count | 127 | 120 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Musillo bearers went from 127 to 120 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 9,001 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #142,049.
FAQ
Musillo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Musillo?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Musillo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Musillo?
Musillo ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 120 people with the surname Musillo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Musillo.
Has Musillo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Musillo went from 127 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Musillo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Musillo, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Musillo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Musillo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Hispanic (9.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Musillo (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 Musillo mean?
A surname of Italian origin meaning "small mouse". 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 Musillo (0.04 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 common is the surname Musillo?
See how common the surname Musillo is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.