2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sparacello
An Italian surname likely meaning "little shooting" or "shooter" in dialect.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Sparacello. 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 Sparacello 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 Sparacello 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 Sparacello, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.3%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sparacello
The surname Sparacello is of Italian origin and can be traced back to the region of Sicily during the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the Sicilian word "sparari," meaning "to shoot" or "to fire," and the diminutive suffix "-cello," suggesting a small or lesser shooter or archer.
In the 14th century, records show a family with the name Sparacello residing in the town of Palermo, Sicily. This could indicate that the name was initially associated with a profession or trade related to archery or firearms, which were becoming increasingly prevalent during that time.
The earliest known written reference to the surname Sparacello can be found in a cadastral document from the city of Messina, dated 1426. This document lists a certain "Giovanni Sparacello" as a landowner within the city limits.
During the Renaissance period, the name Sparacello appears in several historical records from various Sicilian cities, suggesting that the family had spread across the island. One notable example is Vincenzo Sparacello (1495-1567), a respected jurist and legal scholar from Catania, who authored several influential treatises on Sicilian law.
As the Sparacello family continued to expand and migrate, the name can be found in various parts of Italy throughout the centuries. For instance, in the 17th century, there was a prominent family of artists and architects from Naples bearing the surname Sparacello, including the renowned painter Gian Battista Sparacello (1605-1675).
Another notable individual with this surname was Gaetano Sparacello (1777-1843), a renowned composer and violinist from Palermo, who contributed significantly to the development of Sicilian operatic traditions during the early 19th century.
While the Sparacello surname is still found primarily in Italy, particularly in Sicily and the surrounding regions, it has also spread to other parts of the world through immigration. However, due to its relatively low frequency, detailed historical records of the name outside of Italy are scarce.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sparacello
Among Census respondents with the surname Sparacello, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.3%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sparacello 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 Sparacello surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino10.3% · 12
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sparacello
Sparacello 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,271 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,920 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 6,271 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 2,920 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 Sparacello 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 | #142,108 | #145,028 | -2.1% |
| Count | 117 | 116 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sparacello bearers went from 117 to 116 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 2,920 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #145,028.
FAQ
Sparacello surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sparacello?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Sparacello. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Sparacello?
Sparacello 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 Sparacello. 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 Sparacello.
Has Sparacello become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sparacello went from 117 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Sparacello?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sparacello, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.3%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Sparacello in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sparacello appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Hispanic (10.3%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Sparacello (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 Sparacello mean?
An Italian surname likely meaning "little shooting" or "shooter" in dialect. 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 Sparacello (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 Sparacello?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.