Surla last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Surla

A surname of uncertain origin, possibly French or Italian.

Surla, 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 Surla surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Surla in America

Surla is the 86981st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Surla surname appeared 214 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Surla.

We can also compare 2010 data for Surla 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank86981106477-20.16%
Count21415531.98%
Proportion per 100k0.070.0615.38%

The history of the last name Surla

The surname SURLA has its origins in Italy, where it first emerged in the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "surla," which referred to a type of small bird or a person of slight stature. The name may also be related to the Latin word "surricare," meaning to lift or raise up.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the SURLA surname can be found in the Codice Diplomatico della Lombardia Medievale, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Lombardy. In a charter dated 1275, a certain Guglielmo SURLA is mentioned as a landowner in the town of Brescia.

In the 14th century, the SURLA name appeared in several municipal records in the city of Genoa, where a family of that name held various positions of importance. Notably, a Pietro SURLA served as a member of the Genovese Senate in 1348.

During the Renaissance period, the SURLA name gained further prominence in the arts and literature. Giovanni SURLA (1450-1518), a renowned painter from Verona, was commissioned to decorate several churches and palaces throughout northern Italy. His works can still be admired in the Basilica of San Zeno in Verona.

In the 16th century, the SURLA family established itself in the city of Naples, where they were involved in the silk trade. Marco Antonio SURLA (1520-1589), a wealthy merchant, is known to have financed the construction of a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the Neapolitan suburb of Posillipo.

The SURLA name also has a connection to the island of Sardinia, where it is believed to have originated from the village of Surla, now known as Surianu. One notable figure from this branch of the family was Girolamo SURLA (1685-1756), a priest and scholar who authored several treatises on Sardinian history and culture.

Throughout the centuries, the SURLA surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Surla, Surli, Surlini, and Surlino. These variations reflect the regional dialects and linguistic influences that have shaped the name over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Surla

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

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 Surla was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only55.14%118
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only36.45%78
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races7.01%15
Hispanic Origin0.00%0

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 Surla has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White55.14%62.58%-12.64%
Black(S)%(S)%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander36.45%29.03%22.66%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races7.01%3.87%57.72%
Hispanic0.00%3.87%-200.00%

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

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

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