2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Torrelli
An Italian surname likely derived from the Latin word "turris" meaning tower.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Torrelli. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Torrelli 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Torrelli in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Torrelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Black (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Torrelli
The surname Torrelli originates from Italy, where it first emerged in the medieval period around the 12th century. It is derived from the Italian word "torre," meaning "tower," and likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent tower or worked as a watchman or guard in a tower.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Torrelli can be found in the historical records of the city of Siena, where a family bearing this name was mentioned in documents dating back to the 13th century. The Torrelli family was notably involved in the political and economic affairs of Siena during this time.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Giacomo Torrelli (c. 1320-1390) was a prominent Italian jurist and legal scholar from Siena. He authored several influential works on legal theory and served as a judge in various Italian cities.
Another historical figure bearing the Torrelli surname was Pietro Torrelli (c. 1450-1520), a renowned Renaissance architect from Florence. He designed several notable buildings, including the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Arezzo.
In the 16th century, the Torrelli family established themselves in the city of Pisa, where they held influential positions in the local government and academic institutions. One member, Camillo Torrelli (1575-1640), was a celebrated mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
During the 17th century, a branch of the Torrelli family migrated to the city of Naples, where they became involved in the textile trade. One notable member from this period was Giuseppe Torrelli (1650-1718), a successful merchant and philanthropist who funded the construction of several churches and schools in Naples.
The surname Torrelli has also been associated with various place names throughout Italy, such as Torrelli di Montaione, a small town in the province of Florence, and Torrelli di Camaiore, a village in the province of Lucca.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Torrelli
Among Census respondents with the surname Torrelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Black (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Torrelli 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 Torrelli surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.2% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino10.1% · 12
- Black or African American3.4% · 4
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Torrelli
Torrelli 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+7 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,336 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+8 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,559 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 2,336 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.2%) | Up 5,559 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 Torrelli 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 | #148,347 | #142,788 | 3.7% |
| Count | 111 | 119 | 7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Torrelli bearers went from 111 to 119 (+7.2% change). The surname moved up 5,559 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #142,788.
FAQ
Torrelli surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Torrelli?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Torrelli. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Torrelli?
Torrelli ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Torrelli. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Torrelli.
Has Torrelli become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Torrelli went from 111 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 8 (+7.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Torrelli?
Among Census respondents with the surname Torrelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) 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 Torrelli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Torrelli appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.2%), Hispanic (10.1%), 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 Torrelli (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 Torrelli mean?
An Italian surname likely derived from the Latin word "turris" meaning tower. 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 Torrelli (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 common is the surname Torrelli?
If you just want to know how common the surname Torrelli is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.