2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pastorella
A surname derived from the Italian word 'pastore', meaning a shepherd or herdsman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Pastorella. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pastorella 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Pastorella in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pastorella, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pastorella
The surname Pastorella has its origins in Italy, specifically in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria, where it first emerged during the late medieval period around the 13th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "pastorella," which means "little shepherdess" or "young shepherdess."
This surname is believed to have been initially bestowed upon individuals who worked as shepherds or were associated with pastoral activities in rural areas. It may have been given as a descriptive nickname or occupation-based surname to someone who cared for and tended to sheep and other livestock.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pastorella can be found in a document from the city of Perugia, Umbria, dated 1276. This document mentions a certain "Iohannes Pastorella," indicating the presence of the surname in that region during the latter part of the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the name Pastorella appeared in various historical records and manuscripts, including the "Codice Diplomatico Aretino," a collection of documents from the city of Arezzo, Tuscany. This collection contains references to individuals with the surname Pastorella living in the surrounding areas.
One notable figure with the surname Pastorella was Giacomo Pastorella, a renowned painter from Siena who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries (c. 1480-1528). He was known for his religious paintings and frescoes, many of which can still be found in churches and museums throughout Tuscany.
Another individual worth mentioning is Antonio Pastorella (c. 1592-1667), a Catholic prelate and Bishop of Città di Castello in Umbria during the mid-17th century. He was known for his reforms within the diocese and his contributions to the local community.
In the 18th century, the name Pastorella gained prominence in the literary world with the writer and poet Selvaggia Pastorella (1705-1778), whose real name was Elisabetta Caminer Turra. She was born in Venice and gained recognition for her poetic works and literary salons.
Another noteworthy figure was Giovanni Battista Pastorella (1792-1865), a renowned architect from Mantua, Italy, who was responsible for designing several notable buildings and churches in the city, including the Church of Sant'Andrea and the Palazzo Ducale.
The surname Pastorella has since spread beyond its Italian origins and can now be found in various parts of the world, although it remains more prevalent in Italy and among Italian diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pastorella
Among Census respondents with the surname Pastorella, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pastorella 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 Pastorella surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 99
- Black or African American3.7% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pastorella
Pastorella 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,026 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-9 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,065 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,026 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 9,065 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 Pastorella 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 | #141,140 | #150,205 | -6.4% |
| Count | 118 | 109 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pastorella bearers went from 118 to 109 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 9,065 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #150,205.
FAQ
Pastorella surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pastorella?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Pastorella. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Pastorella?
Pastorella ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Pastorella. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Pastorella.
Has Pastorella become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pastorella went from 118 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Pastorella?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pastorella, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Pastorella in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pastorella appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Black (3.7%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Pastorella (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 Pastorella mean?
A surname derived from the Italian word 'pastore', meaning a shepherd or herdsman. 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 Pastorella (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 common is the surname Pastorella?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Pastorella, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.