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

Scala, 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 Scala surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Scala in America

Scala is the 9212th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Scala surname appeared 3,537 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 Scala.

We can also compare 2010 data for Scala 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 Scala

The surname Scala originates from Italy, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Italian word "scala," which means "staircase" or "ladder." The name is believed to have been initially given as a nickname or occupational name to individuals who were involved in the construction or maintenance of staircases, or perhaps lived near a significant stairway or ladder.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Scala appears in the historic Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Benedictine monastery of La Cava in southern Italy. This codex, dating back to the 11th century, mentions a certain "Petrus de Scala" in a document from the year 1041.

Another notable historical reference to the name Scala can be found in the Florentine Catasto of 1427, a tax record from the Republic of Florence. This document lists several individuals with the surname, including a Bartolomeo Scala and a Niccolò di Scala.

In the 15th century, a prominent member of the Scala family was Antonio Scala, a humanist scholar and diplomat from Florence. He was born around 1400 and served as the ambassador of the Florentine Republic to various European courts, including those of the Holy Roman Emperor and the King of France.

During the Renaissance period, the Scala family produced several notable figures in the arts and literature. One such individual was Bartolomeo Scala, a 16th-century poet and playwright from Venice, who was born in 1530 and is known for his works such as "Il Teatro delle Favole Rappresentative" (The Theatre of Fable Representations).

Moving forward to the 17th century, we find Flaminio Scala, an Italian scholar and antiquarian who was born in Naples in 1619. He is best known for his extensive collection of ancient inscriptions and his works on the history and antiquities of Naples.

In more recent times, the surname Scala has been associated with several influential individuals, including the 20th-century Italian opera singer and conductor, Renato Scala, who was born in 1884 and gained international acclaim for his performances in works by composers such as Verdi and Puccini.

While the surname Scala has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with notable bearers of the name found in countries like the United States, Argentina, and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Scala

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

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

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

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