2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Piniella
A surname with Italian origins likely derived from the Latin pinella meaning "little pine tree".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Piniella. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Piniella 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Piniella in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Piniella, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 69.0%. The next largest groups are White (29.2%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Piniella
The surname Piniella originates from Italy and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "pino," which means pine tree, and is likely an occupational name referring to someone who lived near or worked with pine trees.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical documents from the regions of Piedmont and Liguria in northwestern Italy, where it is believed to have originated. Some variations in spelling include Pinella, Pinelli, and Pinelli.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Giovanni Piniella, a merchant from Genoa, who is mentioned in records from the late 14th century. Another notable individual was Bartolomeo Piniella, a scholar and author from Turin, who lived in the early 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name appears in the records of the Republic of Venice, with Francesco Piniella being a prominent merchant and diplomat from that period. Andrea Piniella, a painter from Genoa, was also active during the same era.
During the 19th century, Giuseppe Piniella (1823-1899) was a renowned Italian politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Kingdom of Italy.
Other notable individuals with the surname Piniella include Luigi Piniella (1890-1957), an Italian sculptor and artist, and Lou Piniella (born 1943), a former professional baseball player and manager who played for several Major League Baseball teams and managed teams like the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs.
While the name originated in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly in regions with significant Italian immigration, such as the United States and South America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Piniella
Among Census respondents with the surname Piniella, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 69.0%. The next largest groups are White (29.2%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Piniella 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 Piniella surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino69.0% · 78
- White29.2% · 33
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Piniella
Piniella 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
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+9 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,823 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 8,823 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 Piniella 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 | #147,221 | 5.7% |
| Count | 104 | 113 | 8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Piniella bearers went from 104 to 113 (+8.7% change). The surname moved up 8,823 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #147,221.
FAQ
Piniella surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Piniella?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Piniella. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Piniella?
Piniella ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Piniella. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Piniella.
Has Piniella become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Piniella went from 104 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 9 (+8.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Piniella?
Among Census respondents with the surname Piniella, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 69.0%. The next largest groups are White (29.2%) and Black (0.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Piniella in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.0% (78 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Piniella appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (69.0%), White (29.2%), Black (0.9%). 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 Piniella (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 Piniella mean?
A surname with Italian origins likely derived from the Latin pinella meaning "little pine tree". 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 Piniella (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 Americans have the surname Piniella?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.