2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Polla
An occupational surname derived from the Italian word "polla" meaning chicken or hen farmer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Polla. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Polla 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Polla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Polla, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (7.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Polla
The surname POLLA originated in Italy, with its earliest known use dating back to the late 14th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Latin word "pullus," meaning "young bird" or "chick." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person who bred or raised poultry, or perhaps someone with a youthful or childlike appearance or demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the POLLA surname can be found in the tax records of the Venetian Republic from the year 1379, where a certain "Nicolò Polla" is listed as a taxpayer. The name also appears in various medieval documents from the regions of Veneto, Lombardy, and Emilia-Romagna.
In the 15th century, the POLLA surname gained some prominence in the city of Treviso, where a family of that name played a significant role in local politics and governance. Notably, a certain Bartolomeo Polla served as a prominent magistrate and ambassador for the city in the latter half of the 1400s.
As the centuries passed, the POLLA surname spread to other parts of Italy, with notable bearers emerging in various fields. In the 16th century, the painter Girolamo Polla (c. 1549-1625) achieved recognition for his religious works, particularly those commissioned by churches and monasteries in the Venetian region.
In the realm of literature, the 17th century saw the rise of the writer and poet Niccolò Polla (1624-1693), whose works explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition. His collection of sonnets, "Rime Amorose," published in 1662, garnered critical acclaim and helped establish his reputation among the literary circles of the time.
Moving into the 19th century, the POLLA surname found its way into the world of science and academia. Notable figures include the mathematician and physicist Vincenzo Polla (1806-1872), whose contributions to the field of mechanics and theoretical physics were widely recognized during his lifetime.
Finally, in the 20th century, the name POLLA gained international recognition through the achievements of the Italian film director and screenwriter Gillo Pontecorvo (born Gillo Polla, 1919-2006). His works, such as the critically acclaimed "The Battle of Algiers" (1966), brought him widespread acclaim and cemented his legacy as a pioneering figure in the realm of political cinema.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Polla
Among Census respondents with the surname Polla, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (7.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Polla 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 Polla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.8% · 77
- Black or African American7.1% · 7
- Two or more races7.1% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.0% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Polla
Polla 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-8 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,699 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-8 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,377 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 17,699 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 3,377 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 Polla 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 | #152,628 | #156,005 | -2.2% |
| Count | 107 | 99 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Polla bearers went from 107 to 99 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 3,377 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #156,005.
FAQ
Polla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Polla?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Polla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Polla?
Polla ranks #156,005 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 99 people with the surname Polla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), 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 Polla.
Has Polla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Polla went from 107 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Polla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Polla, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (7.1%). 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 Polla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.8% (77 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Polla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.8%), Black (7.1%), Two or More Races (7.1%). 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 Polla (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 Polla mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Italian word "polla" meaning chicken or hen farmer. 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 Polla (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 many Americans have the surname Polla?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.