2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pomilla
An Italian surname likely derived from the Italian word "pomella", meaning a small apple or fruit.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Pomilla. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pomilla 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Pomilla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pomilla, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pomilla
The surname POMILLA is believed to have originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Latin word "pomum," meaning "apple," potentially referring to someone who lived near an apple orchard or worked as an apple grower.
The earliest known record of the name POMILLA dates back to the 13th century in the town of Pomilio, located in the Campania region of southern Italy. This town's name is believed to be the root of the surname, with the addition of the Italian diminutive suffix "-illa."
In the 14th century, the name POMILLA appeared in several historical records, including the Catasto Onciario, a tax registry maintained by the Kingdom of Naples. This suggests that individuals bearing this surname had established themselves as landowners or tradesmen during this time.
One notable figure from the 15th century was Giovanni POMILLA, a merchant from the town of Salerno, who is mentioned in trade records from the Venetian Republic. His son, Antonio POMILLA, was a respected scholar and author of a treatise on the cultivation of citrus fruits.
During the 16th century, the POMILLA family expanded their influence, with several members holding prominent positions within the Catholic Church. Girolamo POMILLA (1521-1598) was a renowned theologian and advisor to Pope Pius V, while his nephew, Ottavio POMILLA (1560-1632), served as a bishop in the city of Benevento.
In the 17th century, the name POMILLA gained recognition beyond Italy, particularly in Spain. Diego POMILLA (1618-1685) was a Spanish military officer who served in the Thirty Years' War and later became the governor of the province of Valencia.
As the POMILLA family dispersed throughout Europe in the following centuries, variations of the surname emerged, such as Pomilio, Pomili, and Pomili-Anziani. One notable figure was the Italian composer Vincenzo POMILLA (1778-1856), whose operas were widely performed in the early 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pomilla
Among Census respondents with the surname Pomilla, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Pomilla 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 Pomilla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pomilla
Pomilla 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+2 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,567 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-9 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,582 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 6,567 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 10,582 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 Pomilla 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 | #132,206 | #142,788 | -8.0% |
| Count | 128 | 119 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pomilla bearers went from 128 to 119 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 10,582 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #142,788.
FAQ
Pomilla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pomilla?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Pomilla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Pomilla?
Pomilla ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Pomilla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Pomilla.
Has Pomilla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pomilla went from 128 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Pomilla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pomilla, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%). 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 Pomilla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pomilla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (7.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%). 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 Pomilla (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 Pomilla mean?
An Italian surname likely derived from the Italian word "pomella", meaning a small apple or fruit. 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 Pomilla (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 share the surname Pomilla?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.