2010
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pallera
A surname derived from the Latin word "pallor," meaning pale or white, possibly referring to someone with a pale complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Pallera. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pallera 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Pallera in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pallera, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pallera
The surname Pallera is of Italian origin, with its roots dating back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Emilia-Romagna, particularly in the province of Parma. The name is thought to be derived from the Italian word "pallare," which means "to play ball" or "to juggle."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Pallera can be found in the Estimo, a historical tax record from the city of Bologna, dated 1315. In this document, a certain Guido Pallera is listed as a resident of the Porta Stiera district.
During the Renaissance period, the name Pallera appears in several literary works and documents from various Italian cities. Notably, a Florentine merchant named Bartolomeo Pallera is mentioned in a commercial contract from 1472, preserved in the Archivio di Stato di Firenze.
In the 16th century, the Pallera family established itself in the city of Genoa, where they were involved in the silk trade. One of the most prominent members of this branch was Gerolamo Pallera (1520-1589), a wealthy merchant and patron of the arts.
As the Pallera family spread across Italy, they adopted variations of the surname, such as Palleri, Palliero, and Pallerini. In the 17th century, a notable figure was the Venetian painter Bernardino Palleri (1620-1678), known for his religious artwork adorning churches in Venice and its surrounding areas.
The Pallera name also found its way to the island of Sicily, where a branch of the family settled in the city of Palermo. One of the earliest recorded individuals from this lineage was Giovanni Battista Pallera (1685-1758), a renowned lawyer and scholar.
In the 19th century, the Pallera family gained prominence in the field of medicine. Giuseppe Pallera (1812-1892), born in Naples, was a renowned surgeon and professor at the University of Naples. His contributions to the development of surgical techniques were widely recognized throughout Italy.
As the Pallera surname spread beyond Italy's borders, it took on various spellings and adaptations in other countries. In Spain, for instance, the name is sometimes rendered as Pallera or Palleras, while in France, it is occasionally written as Pallerat or Palleray.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pallera
Among Census respondents with the surname Pallera, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Pallera 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 Pallera surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander87.1% · 101
- White6.9% · 8
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pallera
Pallera 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
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-6 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,701 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 7,701 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 Pallera 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 | #137,327 | #145,028 | -5.6% |
| Count | 122 | 116 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pallera bearers went from 122 to 116 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 7,701 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #145,028.
FAQ
Pallera surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pallera?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Pallera. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Pallera?
Pallera ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Pallera. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Pallera.
Has Pallera become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pallera went from 122 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Pallera?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pallera, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pallera in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pallera appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (87.1%), White (6.9%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Pallera (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 Pallera mean?
A surname derived from the Latin word "pallor," meaning pale or white, possibly referring to someone with a pale complexion. 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 Pallera (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 many people are called Pallera?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Pallera on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.