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

Rotella, 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 Rotella surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rotella in America

Rotella is the 14612th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rotella surname appeared 2,037 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Rotella.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rotella 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 Rotella

The surname Rotella is of Italian origin, derived from the Latin word "rota," which means "wheel." It is believed to have originated in the 13th century, particularly in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria.

This surname is thought to have been initially given to individuals who were associated with the production or trade of wheels, such as wheelwrights or cartwrights. In medieval times, these occupations were highly valued, as wheels played a crucial role in transportation and various industries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rotella can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Toscano, a collection of medieval documents from Tuscany, dating back to the year 1270. The name appears in reference to a certain "Guido Rotella," who was a landowner in the city of Siena.

In the 14th century, the name Rotella was also documented in the historical records of Assisi, a town in the Umbria region. A notable figure from this era was Giacomo Rotella, a renowned painter and fresco artist who worked on several churches and chapels in the area.

Throughout the centuries, the surname Rotella has undergone some variations in spelling, including Rotelli, Rottella, and Rottelli. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and scribal errors in the transcription of records.

One of the most prominent individuals with the surname Rotella was Mimmo Rotella (1918-2006), an Italian artist and pioneer of the Decollage movement. He was renowned for his innovative works that incorporated torn posters and advertisements, reflecting the urban landscape of post-war Italy.

Another notable figure was Sebastiano Rotella (1587-1659), an Italian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the motion of planets.

In the literary world, Domenico Rotella (1745-1821) was an Italian poet and playwright whose works were widely acclaimed during the Enlightenment period.

The surname Rotella also found its way into the annals of religious history with Tommaso Rotella (1631-1704), a Jesuit priest and missionary who dedicated his life to spreading Christianity in South America.

Lastly, it is worth mentioning the Italian composer and conductor, Giuseppe Rotella (1902-1990), whose compositions for orchestra and chamber ensembles garnered critical acclaim in the 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rotella

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

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 Rotella 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 Rotella 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 Rotella was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!