2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nasella
Of Italian origin, a toponymic name for someone from the town of Naselle in Genoa.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Nasella. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nasella 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Nasella in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nasella, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nasella
The surname Nasella has its roots in Italy, tracing back to the 15th century. It is believed to have originated from the Italian word "nasiello," which means "little nose" or "small nose." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname given to someone with a distinctive nasal feature.
The earliest recorded instances of the Nasella surname can be found in historical documents from the regions of Calabria and Sicily, where the name was particularly prevalent. It is possible that the name was derived from a local dialect or variation of the Italian language used in these areas.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Nasella name was Giovanni Nasella, a merchant from the city of Reggio Calabria, who lived in the late 15th century. His name appears in several trade records and contracts from that period, indicating the family's involvement in commercial activities.
In the 16th century, there are records of a Nicola Nasella, a skilled craftsman from the town of Palermo in Sicily. His work as a woodcarver and furniture maker was highly regarded, and some of his creations can still be found in local museums and churches.
During the 17th century, the Nasella name gained prominence in the field of academia. Antonio Nasella (1620-1689) was a renowned philosopher and theologian from Naples. He authored several influential works on metaphysics and ethics, which were widely studied in universities across Europe.
The 18th century saw the rise of Giuseppe Nasella (1745-1810), a celebrated painter from the city of Messina in Sicily. His works, which often depicted religious and mythological scenes, adorned the walls of many churches and noble households across the island.
In the 19th century, the Nasella family produced a notable figure in the form of Vincenzo Nasella (1832-1901), a prominent lawyer and politician from Catanzaro, Calabria. He served as a member of the Italian parliament and was instrumental in drafting several important legal reforms during the unification of Italy.
Throughout its history, the Nasella surname has been associated with various place names and locations within Italy, particularly in the regions of Calabria and Sicily. Some variations in spelling, such as Naselli, Nasillo, or Nasiello, have also been recorded over time, reflecting the linguistic diversity of the Italian peninsula.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nasella
Among Census respondents with the surname Nasella, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Nasella 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 Nasella surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nasella
Nasella appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-9 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,875 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 5,875 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 Nasella 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 | #149,395 | #155,270 | -3.9% |
| Count | 110 | 101 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nasella bearers went from 110 to 101 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 5,875 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #155,270.
FAQ
Nasella surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nasella?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Nasella. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Nasella?
Nasella ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Nasella. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Nasella.
Has Nasella become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nasella went from 110 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 9 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Nasella?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nasella, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%). 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 Nasella in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nasella appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (7.9%). 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 Nasella (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 Nasella mean?
Of Italian origin, a toponymic name for someone from the town of Naselle in Genoa. 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 Nasella (0.03 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 share the surname Nasella?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.