2010
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pelaia
A surname of Italian origin that may be derived from Greek "pelaios" meaning ancient or old.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Pelaia. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pelaia 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Pelaia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pelaia, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pelaia
The surname Pelaia originated in Italy, with roots tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "pelare," which means "to peel" or "to strip." This suggests a possible occupational origin for the name, perhaps related to individuals involved in trades such as skinning animals or preparing fruits and vegetables.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Pelaia surname can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Barese, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Bari, Puglia, dating back to the 11th century. These records mention individuals bearing the name Pelaia, often in connection with land ownership and transactions.
During the 13th century, the Pelaia name appeared in various documents from the Kingdom of Naples, which encompassed parts of southern Italy. One notable mention is a certain Bartolomeo Pelaia, a merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Salerno around 1250.
In the 15th century, the Pelaia family gained prominence in the town of Monopoli, located in the province of Bari. Records from this time period indicate that members of the family held positions of influence within the local government and ecclesiastical institutions.
One of the most renowned individuals bearing the Pelaia surname was Giacomo Pelaia, a philosopher and theologian who lived in the late 16th century. Born in Lecce, Puglia, in 1558, he authored several works on metaphysics and theology, and served as a professor at the University of Naples.
Another noteworthy figure was Girolamo Pelaia, a 17th-century architect and engineer from Bari. He is credited with designing several churches and fortifications in the region, including the Basilica di San Nicola in Bari, which he worked on between 1625 and 1639.
In the 18th century, the Pelaia name can be found in records from the town of Martina Franca, in the province of Taranto. A prominent member of the family during this time was Giuseppe Pelaia, a lawyer and landowner who lived from 1720 to 1798.
Throughout the centuries, variations of the Pelaia surname have appeared, such as Pelaja, Pelaya, and Pelai. These variants often reflect regional dialects and linguistic influences within different parts of Italy.
While the Pelaia surname is predominantly associated with the southern regions of Italy, particularly Puglia and Campania, it has also spread to other parts of the country and beyond due to migration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pelaia
Among Census respondents with the surname Pelaia, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pelaia 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 Pelaia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pelaia
Pelaia 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
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-12 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,482 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 11,482 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 Pelaia 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 | #140,157 | #151,639 | -8.2% |
| Count | 119 | 107 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pelaia bearers went from 119 to 107 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 11,482 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #151,639.
FAQ
Pelaia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pelaia?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Pelaia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Pelaia?
Pelaia ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Pelaia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Pelaia.
Has Pelaia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pelaia went from 119 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Pelaia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pelaia, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Pelaia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pelaia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Hispanic (1.9%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Pelaia (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 Pelaia mean?
A surname of Italian origin that may be derived from Greek "pelaios" meaning ancient or old. 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 Pelaia (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 have the surname Pelaia?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.