2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nolla
An Anglicized surname likely derived from the Scandinavian word for zero or nothing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Nolla. 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 Nolla 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 Nolla 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 Nolla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 49.5%. The next largest groups are White (45.5%) and Black (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nolla
The surname Nolla is of Italian origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Italy, particularly in the areas around Milan and Bergamo. The name is derived from the Italian word "nulla," which means "nothing" or "zero."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Nolla surname can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Longobardo, a collection of historical documents from the Lombard period, dated around 1250. This manuscript mentions a certain "Guglielmo Nolla" who was a landowner in the region of Bergamo.
During the Renaissance period, the name Nolla gained some prominence in the city of Venice. Records from the 15th century show that a family of merchants and bankers bearing the Nolla surname had established a successful trade business in the city. One notable member was Giovanni Nolla (1435-1508), a wealthy trader who served as a councilor in the Venetian Republic.
In the 16th century, the Nolla name appeared in several historical records related to the Catholic Church. A friar named Girolamo Nolla (1512-1586) was a prominent theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious matters. His works were widely circulated throughout Italy and influenced the intellectual discourse of the time.
Another notable figure was Pietro Nolla (1578-1642), a jurist and legal scholar from Milan. He authored several important treatises on civil law and served as a judge in the Milanese courts. His writings were highly regarded and studied by legal professionals across Europe.
In the 18th century, the Nolla surname gained recognition in the arts and sciences. Antonio Nolla (1720-1789) was a celebrated painter from Bergamo, known for his religious and historical works that adorned many churches and palaces in Northern Italy. Meanwhile, Filippo Nolla (1745-1821) was a respected astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
Throughout its history, the Nolla surname has been associated with various place names in Italy, such as Nolla di Ledro (a small town in Trentino), Nolla di Castel San Pietro (a village near Bologna), and Nolla di Saragozza (a locality in the province of Piacenza). These places may have influenced or been influenced by the surname's origins and dispersal across Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nolla
Among Census respondents with the surname Nolla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 49.5%. The next largest groups are White (45.5%) and Black (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Nolla 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 Nolla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino49.5% · 50
- White45.5% · 46
- Black or African American3.0% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nolla
Nolla 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+18 bearers (+17.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,171 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-18 bearers (-15.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 15,113 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+17.8%) | Up 9,171 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -18 bearers (-15.1%) | Down 15,113 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 Nolla 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 | #140,157 | #155,270 | -10.8% |
| Count | 119 | 101 | -15.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nolla bearers went from 119 to 101 (-15.1% change). The surname moved down 15,113 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #155,270.
FAQ
Nolla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nolla?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Nolla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Nolla?
Nolla 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 Nolla. 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 Nolla.
Has Nolla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nolla went from 119 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 18 (-15.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Nolla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nolla, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 49.5%. The next largest groups are White (45.5%) and Black (3.0%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nolla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.5% (50 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nolla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (49.5%), White (45.5%), Black (3.0%). 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 Nolla (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 Nolla mean?
An Anglicized surname likely derived from the Scandinavian word for zero or nothing. 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 Nolla (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 Americans have the surname Nolla?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.