2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pupello
An Italian surname derived from the word "pupello" meaning a small puppet or doll.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Pupello. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pupello 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Pupello in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pupello, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.8%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pupello
The surname Pupello is of Italian origin, with its roots traced back to the 13th century in the region of Tuscany. It is believed to be derived from the Italian word "pupillo," which means "orphan" or "ward." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname for someone who was an orphan or under legal guardianship.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pupello can be found in a document from the city of Florence, dated 1275, where a certain "Giovanni Pupello" is mentioned as a witness in a legal proceeding. This indicates that the name was already in use during the medieval period in the heart of Tuscany.
In the 15th century, the Pupello name appears in several historical records from the town of Arezzo, located in eastern Tuscany. A notable figure from this period was Francesco Pupello, a merchant and landowner who lived between 1430 and 1498. His name is documented in various property deeds and business transactions from the time.
As the centuries passed, the Pupello surname spread to other parts of Italy, particularly in the regions of Emilia-Romagna and Lazio. In the 16th century, there are records of a family of artisans and craftsmen with the surname Pupello who were active in the city of Bologna.
One of the most renowned individuals with the Pupello surname was Giorgio Pupello, a renowned painter and fresco artist who lived from 1620 to 1692. His works can still be admired in several churches and palaces throughout Italy, particularly in his native city of Rome.
Another notable figure was Carlo Pupello, a philosopher and theologian who was born in Naples in 1725 and died in 1802. He was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of his time and authored several influential works on ethics and moral philosophy.
In more recent history, the name Pupello has been associated with several accomplished individuals, such as Alessandro Pupello (1876-1958), an Italian politician and statesman who served as a member of the Italian Senate, and Maria Pupello (1901-1986), a celebrated opera singer who performed on some of the most prestigious stages in Europe.
While the Pupello surname may not be among the most common in Italy today, its rich history and associations with various professions and accomplishments are a testament to the enduring legacy of this intriguing Italian name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pupello
Among Census respondents with the surname Pupello, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.8%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pupello 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 Pupello surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.6% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino14.8% · 17
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pupello
Pupello 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+10 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 308 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-19 bearers (-14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,263 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +10 bearers (+8.1%) | Down 308 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-14.2%) | Down 18,263 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 Pupello 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 | #127,494 | #145,757 | -14.3% |
| Count | 134 | 115 | -14.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pupello bearers went from 134 to 115 (-14.2% change). The surname moved down 18,263 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #145,757.
FAQ
Pupello surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pupello?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Pupello. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Pupello?
Pupello ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Pupello. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Pupello.
Has Pupello become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pupello went from 134 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 19 (-14.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Pupello?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pupello, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.8%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Pupello in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pupello appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.6%), Hispanic (14.8%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Pupello (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 Pupello mean?
An Italian surname derived from the word "pupello" meaning a small puppet or doll. 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 Pupello (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 have the last name Pupello?
Find out how common the surname Pupello is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.