2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Salli
A derived surname meaning 'holy' or 'blessed' in Arabic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Salli. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Salli 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Salli in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Salli, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Salli
The surname Salli is believed to have originated in Italy, specifically in the southern regions of Calabria and Sicily. It is derived from the Italian word "sali," which means "salts" or "brine." This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals involved in the production or trade of salt, a valuable commodity in ancient times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Salli can be found in the Sicilian town of Messina, where a document from the 13th century mentions a family with this name. The name's prevalence in this region is further evidenced by its appearance in various medieval records and manuscripts from the area.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Antonio Salli (1423-1487) was a renowned physician and philosopher from Calabria. He wrote several treatises on medical topics and was highly respected in his field.
During the 16th century, a family with the surname Salli owned a salt mine in the town of Reggio Calabria. This connection to the salt trade further reinforces the potential origin of the name from the Italian word "sali."
Another historical figure bearing this surname was Giacomo Salli (1570-1640), an Italian architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the city of Naples. His works are considered significant examples of Baroque architecture in the region.
In the 18th century, a family with the surname Salli owned a large estate in the Sicilian town of Siracusa. Records from this period indicate that they were influential landowners and contributed to the local economy through agricultural activities.
One of the most notable individuals with the surname Salli was Giuseppe Salli (1825-1892), an Italian politician and lawyer from Calabria. He served as a member of the Italian Parliament and was actively involved in the unification movement of Italy during the 19th century.
While the surname Salli is predominantly Italian in origin, it has also been found in other countries due to migration and diaspora. However, its roots can be traced back to the southern regions of Italy, where it has a rich historical legacy spanning several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salli
Among Census respondents with the surname Salli, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Salli 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 Salli surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 103
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- Black or African American3.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Salli
Salli 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+13 bearers (+12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,103 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 887 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.7%) | Up 4,103 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 887 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 Salli 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 | #144,141 | #145,028 | -0.6% |
| Count | 115 | 116 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Salli bearers went from 115 to 116 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 887 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #145,028.
FAQ
Salli surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Salli?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Salli. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Salli?
Salli ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Salli. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Salli.
Has Salli become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Salli went from 115 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Salli?
Among Census respondents with the surname Salli, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (3.4%). 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 Salli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Salli appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Black (3.4%). 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 Salli (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 Salli mean?
A derived surname meaning 'holy' or 'blessed' in Arabic. 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 Salli (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 are called Salli?
If you just want to know how many people are called Salli, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.