2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Sellaro
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "sellaro" meaning saddlemaker or saddler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Sellaro. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sellaro 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Sellaro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sellaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sellaro
The surname Sellaro is of Italian origin, with roots tracing back to the regions of Campania and Calabria in southern Italy. The earliest known records of this name date back to the 16th century.
Sellaro is believed to derive from the Italian word "sellaro," meaning a saddle maker or saddler. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been involved in the craft of making saddles or other related leather goods.
In historical records, one of the earliest known mentions of the surname Sellaro can be found in the matrimonial records of the town of Salerno, located in the Campania region, dating back to the late 1500s. These records document a marriage between a man named Gian Battista Sellaro and a woman named Antonia Cioffi in the year 1587.
Another notable early reference to the Sellaro surname is found in the baptismal records of the town of Catanzaro, situated in the Calabria region. These records show the baptism of a child named Francesco Sellaro, born in 1612 to parents Antonio Sellaro and Maria Russo.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the Sellaro surname was Giovanni Sellaro, a renowned artist and painter born in Naples, Campania, around 1620. He was known for his religious artwork and frescoes adorning various churches in the region.
In the 18th century, a man named Vincenzo Sellaro (1732-1804) gained recognition as a prominent historian and scholar from the town of Cava de' Tirreni, near Salerno. He authored several works documenting the history and culture of the region.
Another noteworthy figure was Giuseppe Sellaro (1823-1891), a lawyer and political activist from Calabria. He played a significant role in the Italian unification movement and served as a member of the Italian parliament in the late 19th century.
The surname Sellaro has also been associated with various place names in southern Italy, such as the town of Sellaro in the province of Salerno, and the village of Sellaro di Bucita in the province of Catanzaro. These locations may have derived their names from individuals bearing the Sellaro surname who resided in or founded these settlements.
Throughout its history, the Sellaro surname has maintained a strong presence in the regions of Campania and Calabria, with families continuing to carry on the legacy of this name across generations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sellaro
Among Census respondents with the surname Sellaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sellaro 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 Sellaro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sellaro
Sellaro appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+4 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,595 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.9%) | Up 5,595 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 Sellaro 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 | #157,234 | #151,639 | 3.6% |
| Count | 103 | 107 | 3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sellaro bearers went from 103 to 107 (+3.9% change). The surname moved up 5,595 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #151,639.
FAQ
Sellaro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sellaro?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Sellaro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Sellaro?
Sellaro ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Sellaro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Sellaro.
Has Sellaro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sellaro went from 103 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 4 (+3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Sellaro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sellaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Sellaro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sellaro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Sellaro (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 Sellaro mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "sellaro" meaning saddlemaker or saddler. 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 Sellaro (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 surname Sellaro?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.