2000
#102,173
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 163
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Pacello
Italian surname meaning 'young pig' or 'piglet', derived from the Latin root 'porcellus'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 188 Americans carry the last name Pacello. That puts it at #113,565 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,823,161 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pacello 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
188
1 in 1,823,161
Census rank
#113,565
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
164
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 164 bearers of the surname Pacello in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 113565th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pacello, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pacello
The surname Pacello has its origins in Italy, particularly in the regions of Lazio and Campania. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, likely between the 11th and 13th centuries. Pacello is thought to be derived from the Latin word "pacellus," which means "small peace" or "little peace."
One of the earliest known records of the Pacello name can be found in various Italian documents from the 13th century, such as municipal registers and ecclesiastical records. These documents often referred to individuals with the surname Pacello residing in towns and villages around Rome and Naples.
Notable individuals with the Pacello surname include Eugenio Pacelli, who was born in 1876 and later became Pope Pius XII, reigning from 1939 to 1958. His pontificate was marked by significant events, including World War II and the establishment of the Vatican City State.
Another noteworthy figure was Vincenzo Pacelli, an Italian Cardinal who lived from 1619 to 1670. He was a prominent figure in the Catholic Church during the 17th century and served as the Bishop of Palestrina and later as the Cardinal-Priest of Santi Giovanni e Paolo.
In the 15th century, there are records of a Pacello family residing in the town of Velletri, located southeast of Rome. The family was involved in various trades and professions, including agriculture and artisanry.
The Pacello surname has also been associated with various place names in Italy, such as Pacello, a small village in the province of Salerno, and Pacelli, a hamlet in the municipality of Castel Gandolfo, near Rome.
Other notable individuals with the Pacello surname include Raffaele Pacelli, an Italian poet and writer who lived in the 19th century, and Giuseppe Pacelli, a prominent Italian architect and engineer from the 18th century, known for his work on various churches and public buildings in Rome.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pacello
Among Census respondents with the surname Pacello, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Pacello 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 Pacello surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 150
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 10
- Two or more races1.2% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pacello
Pacello 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
#107,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 166
+3 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 4,961 places
2020
#113,565
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 164
-2 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 6,431 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #102,173 | 163 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #107,134 | 166 | 0.06 | +3 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 4,961 places |
| 2020 | #113,565 | 164 | 0.05 | -2 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 6,431 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 Pacello 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 | #107,134 | #113,565 | -6.0% |
| Count | 166 | 164 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.05 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pacello bearers went from 166 to 164 (-1.2% change). The surname moved down 6,431 positions in the national ranking, going from #107,134 to #113,565.
FAQ
Pacello surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pacello?
Name Census estimates that about 188 living Americans carry the surname Pacello. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,823,161 residents.
How common is Pacello?
Pacello ranks #113,565 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 164 people with the surname Pacello. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (188), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Pacello.
Has Pacello become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pacello went from 166 recorded bearers to 164. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #107,134 to #113,565.
What does the Census say about the background of Pacello?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pacello, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (1.2%). 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 Pacello in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (150 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pacello appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (6.1%), Two or More Races (1.2%). 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 Pacello (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 Pacello mean?
Italian surname meaning 'young pig' or 'piglet', derived from the Latin root 'porcellus'. 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 Pacello (0.05 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 Pacello?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.