Find out how popular the last name Petrocelli is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Petrocelli.

Petrocelli, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Petrocelli surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Petrocelli in America

Petrocelli is the 22809th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Petrocelli surname appeared 1,123 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Petrocelli.

We can also compare 2010 data for Petrocelli to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Petrocelli

The surname Petrocelli has its origins in Italy, specifically in the southern regions of the country. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century.

Petrocelli is derived from the Italian word "petra," which means "rock" or "stone," and the suffix "-elli," which is a diminutive form indicating a small or diminished version of something. Thus, Petrocelli can be translated as "little rock" or "small stone."

The name may have been initially given as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who lived near a rocky area or a place known for its stone quarries. Alternatively, it could have been a nickname given to someone with a sturdy or rock-like build.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Petrocelli can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Barese, a collection of medieval documents from the Apulian town of Bari, dating back to the 12th century. The name is also mentioned in various other historical records from southern Italian cities like Naples and Salerno.

Petrocelli is a surname that has been borne by several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Giacomo Petrocelli, a 14th-century Neapolitan painter known for his fresco works in churches around Naples.

Another notable figure was Nicola Petrocelli, a 16th-century Italian botanist and physician from the town of Bitonto, near Bari. He authored several books on medicinal plants and their uses.

In the 18th century, Domenico Petrocelli was a prominent architect from Naples who designed several churches and palaces in the city, including the Church of Santa Maria della Sanità and the Palazzo Petrocelli.

Francesco Petrocelli, born in 1824 in Bari, was a renowned Italian jurist and politician who served as a member of the Italian Parliament and played a crucial role in the unification of Italy.

More recently, Biagio Petrocelli, born in 1920 in Salerno, was an Italian-American author and screenwriter best known for his novel "The Matlock Paper," which was adapted into a successful film starring Gregory Peck.

The surname Petrocelli continues to be relatively common in southern Italy, particularly in regions like Campania, Apulia, and Calabria, reflecting its deep-rooted history in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Petrocelli

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Petrocelli.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Petrocelli was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Petrocelli has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Petrocelli was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Petrocelli, please contact us.

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