2000
#23,698
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 997
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.37
Rare Last name
Parillo
A surname possibly derived from the Italian word "parire" meaning "to bear fruit".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,077 Americans carry the last name Parillo. That puts it at #27,218 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 318,249 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parillo 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
1.1K
1 in 318,249
Census rank
#27,218
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
939
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 939 bearers of the surname Parillo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27218th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parillo, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parillo
The surname Parillo has its origins in the Italian language, specifically from the southern regions of Italy such as Campania and Basilicata. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, likely between the 11th and 13th centuries.
Parillo is derived from the Italian word "parillo," which means "equal" or "similar." This suggests that the name may have originally been a nickname given to someone who was considered equal or similar to another person or group. Alternatively, it could have been a reference to someone who advocated for equality or fairness.
The earliest known record of the Parillo surname dates back to the 13th century, where it appears in a document from the city of Naples. This document mentions a certain "Giacomo Parillo" who was a merchant and landowner in the area.
In the 14th century, the name Parillo is found in records from the town of Salerno, where a family by that name owned vineyards and olive groves. This suggests that the name was associated with agricultural and landholding activities during that time period.
One notable individual who bore the Parillo surname was Pietro Parillo, a Renaissance-era painter who lived in Naples from 1472 to 1547. His works can still be found in several churches and museums in the region.
During the 16th century, the Parillo name appeared in records from the town of Potenza in Basilicata, where a family of that name was involved in the production of textiles and wool.
In the 18th century, there was a prominent Italian writer and philosopher named Giulio Parillo, who was born in 1718 in the town of Avellino and died in 1789. He wrote several influential works on ethics and political philosophy.
Another notable Parillo was Giuseppe Parillo, a 19th-century sculptor from Naples who was known for his marble statues and busts. He lived from 1804 to 1876 and his works can be found in various museums and public spaces throughout Italy.
The Parillo surname has also been associated with the town of Parillo, a small village in the province of Avellino in Campania. This suggests that some bearers of the name may have originated from or had connections to this particular location.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parillo
Among Census respondents with the surname Parillo, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Parillo 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 Parillo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 859
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 46
- Two or more races2.2% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 8
- Black or African American0.3% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parillo
Parillo 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
#26,795
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 908
-89 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Down 3,097 places
2020
#27,218
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 939
+31 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Down 423 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,698 | 997 | 0.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #26,795 | 908 | 0.31 | -89 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 3,097 places |
| 2020 | #27,218 | 939 | 0.31 | +31 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 423 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 Parillo 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 | #26,795 | #27,218 | -1.6% |
| Count | 908 | 939 | 3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.31 | 0.31 | 1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parillo bearers went from 908 to 939 (+3.4% change). The surname moved down 423 positions in the national ranking, going from #26,795 to #27,218.
FAQ
Parillo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parillo?
Name Census estimates that about 1,077 living Americans carry the surname Parillo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 318,249 residents.
How common is Parillo?
Parillo ranks #27,218 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.31 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 939 people with the surname Parillo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,077), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.31 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 Parillo.
Has Parillo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parillo went from 908 recorded bearers to 939. That is an increase of 31 (+3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #26,795 to #27,218.
What does the Census say about the background of Parillo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parillo, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Parillo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (859 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parillo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (4.9%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Parillo (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 Parillo mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Italian word "parire" meaning "to bear fruit". 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 Parillo (0.31 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 have the last name Parillo?
Want to know how many people are called Parillo? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.