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

Opella, 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 Opella surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Opella in America

Opella is the 145220th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Opella surname appeared 114 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Opella.

We can also compare 2010 data for Opella 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 Opella

The surname Opella has its origins in Italy, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "opella," which means "small work" or "small task." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who performed minor tasks or jobs.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Opella can be found in the Codice Diplomatico della Lombardia Medievale, a collection of historical documents from medieval Lombardy, Italy. In this collection, a certain Petrus Opella is mentioned in a document dated 1185, residing in the city of Pavia.

The name Opella also appears in various other medieval Italian records, such as the Statuti di Verona, a collection of statutes from the city of Verona, where a certain Iacobus Opella is mentioned in the year 1276.

In the 14th century, the name Opella can be found in the Matricola dei Nobili di Genova, a register of noble families in Genoa. One notable figure from this time was Bartolomeo Opella, a wealthy merchant and statesman who lived from 1320 to 1387.

Moving into the Renaissance period, the name Opella is associated with several notable figures in the arts and academia. One such figure was Giovanni Battista Opella, a renowned painter from Verona who lived from 1455 to 1512. His works can still be found in various churches and galleries throughout northern Italy.

Another notable Opella from this period was Girolamo Opella, a scholar and humanist who lived from 1488 to 1563. He was a professor of rhetoric and philosophy at the University of Padua and is known for his writings on classical literature.

In the 17th century, the name Opella can be found in the records of the Archivio di Stato di Venezia, the state archives of Venice. One notable figure from this time was Domenico Opella, a Venetian nobleman and diplomat who lived from 1612 to 1678.

As the centuries passed, the name Opella continued to be present in various regions of Italy, with families bearing this surname found in cities such as Milan, Genoa, and Naples. Some variations of the spelling, such as Opelli and Opello, also emerged over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Opella

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

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

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

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