2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pelina
A surname derived from the Italian word "pelo" meaning "hair."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Pelina. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pelina 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Pelina in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pelina, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.9%) and White (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pelina
The surname "PELINA" is believed to have originated from the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the region of Portugal. It is thought to derive from an Old Portuguese word, "pelinha," which translates to "little fur" or "small wool." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with individuals involved in the wool or textile trade during the medieval period.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname "PELINA" can be traced back to the 13th century in various Portuguese administrative records and chronicles. One notable mention is found in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), a genealogical document compiled in the late 13th century, which includes references to individuals bearing this surname.
In the 15th century, a certain Afonso Pelina was documented as a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Porto, Portugal. His descendants continued to carry the surname, and some of them migrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas during the Age of Exploration and subsequent centuries.
Another notable figure with the surname "PELINA" was João Pelina, a renowned Portuguese painter who lived in the 16th century (c. 1530-1598). He was known for his religious works and contributed to the decoration of several churches and monasteries in Portugal.
During the colonial era, the surname "PELINA" found its way to Brazil and other Portuguese territories. In the 19th century, a certain José Pelina (1821-1890) was a prominent Brazilian journalist and writer, known for his advocacy of abolitionism and republicanism.
The surname "PELINA" also appears in historical records from Spain, where it may have been adopted by individuals of Portuguese descent or undergone slight variations in spelling, such as "Pelíña" or "Peliña."
While the surname "PELINA" is not among the most common surnames worldwide, it has left its mark in various historical contexts, particularly in the Iberian Peninsula and its former colonies. The name's origins and associations with the wool or textile industry offer a glimpse into the occupations and lives of those who bore it throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pelina
Among Census respondents with the surname Pelina, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.9%) and White (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Pelina 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 Pelina surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander83.2% · 84
- Two or more races10.9% · 11
- White3.0% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pelina
Pelina 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+3 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,716 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 774 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 6,716 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 774 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 Pelina 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 | #156,044 | #155,270 | 0.5% |
| Count | 104 | 101 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pelina bearers went from 104 to 101 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 774 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #155,270.
FAQ
Pelina surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pelina?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Pelina. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Pelina?
Pelina ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Pelina. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Pelina.
Has Pelina become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pelina went from 104 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Pelina?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pelina, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.9%) and White (3.0%). 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 Pelina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (84 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pelina appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (83.2%), Two or More Races (10.9%), White (3.0%). 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 Pelina (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 Pelina mean?
A surname derived from the Italian word "pelo" meaning "hair." 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 Pelina (0.03 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 Pelina?
See how many Americans have the surname Pelina on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.