2000
#14,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,977
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Sabella
An Italian surname derived from the given name Sabella, a variant of Isabella, meaning "pledged to God."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,049 Americans carry the last name Sabella. That puts it at #15,731 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 167,279 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sabella 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
2.0K
1 in 167,279
Census rank
#15,731
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,787 bearers of the surname Sabella in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15731st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sabella, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sabella
The surname Sabella originated in Italy, specifically in the regions of Campania and Calabria. It is derived from the Italian word "sabbia," meaning "sand," which suggests that the name may have been initially used to identify someone who lived near sandy areas or worked with sand.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sabella can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico Barese," a collection of medieval documents from the city of Bari, dating back to the 11th century. This indicates that the name was present in the region during the Norman rule in Southern Italy.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in the "Registri Angioini," a series of administrative records from the Angevin dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Naples. These records mention individuals with the surname Sabella holding various positions within the kingdom.
During the Renaissance period, the Sabella family was particularly prominent in the city of Naples. Girolamo Sabella (1510-1572) was a renowned humanist scholar and writer who authored several works on philosophy and literature.
In the 17th century, Antonio Sabella (1624-1698) was a prominent architect who designed numerous churches and palaces in Naples, including the Church of Santa Maria della Sapienza and the Palazzo Carafa di Noja.
The name also appears in historical records from other regions of Italy. In the 19th century, Giuseppe Sabella (1827-1892) was a notable politician and journalist from Sicily, known for his contributions to the Italian unification movement.
Another notable figure was the Italian-American artist Gaetano Sabella (1839-1918), who immigrated to the United States in the late 19th century and became renowned for his intricate marble sculptures.
Throughout history, the surname Sabella has been subject to various spellings, such as Sabelli, Sabellini, and Sabellio, reflecting regional differences in pronunciation and orthography.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sabella
Among Census respondents with the surname Sabella, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sabella 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 Sabella surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 1,581
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 125
- Two or more races2.4% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 23
- Black or African American0.7% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sabella
Sabella 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
#14,279
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,097
+120 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 279 places
2020
#15,731
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,787
-310 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 1,452 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,000 | 1,977 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,279 | 2,097 | 0.71 | +120 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 279 places |
| 2020 | #15,731 | 1,787 | 0.60 | -310 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 1,452 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 Sabella 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 | #14,279 | #15,731 | -10.2% |
| Count | 2,097 | 1,787 | -14.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.60 | -15.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sabella bearers went from 2,097 to 1,787 (-14.8% change). The surname moved down 1,452 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,279 to #15,731.
FAQ
Sabella surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sabella?
Name Census estimates that about 2,049 living Americans carry the surname Sabella. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 167,279 residents.
How common is Sabella?
Sabella ranks #15,731 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,787 people with the surname Sabella. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,049), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sabella.
Has Sabella become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sabella went from 2,097 recorded bearers to 1,787. That is a decrease of 310 (-14.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,279 to #15,731.
What does the Census say about the background of Sabella?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sabella, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Sabella in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (1,581 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sabella appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Hispanic (7.0%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Sabella (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 Sabella mean?
An Italian surname derived from the given name Sabella, a variant of Isabella, meaning "pledged to God." 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 Sabella (0.60 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 Sabella?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.