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

Zappalà, 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 Zappalà surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zappalà in America

Zappalà is the 30139th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zappalà surname appeared 778 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 Zappalà.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zappalà 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 Zappalà

The surname Zappala has its origins in Italy, specifically from the southern regions of the country. The earliest historical references to the surname can be traced back to the medieval period, with initial records emerging around the 12th and 13th centuries. The name is predominantly associated with the island of Sicily and the potentially neighboring areas of Calabria and Apulia. It is derived from the Sicilian word zappa, meaning "hoe" or "mattock," a tool used in agriculture and farming. This correlation suggests that the surname may have originally been an occupational name, given to those who worked as farmers or tillers of the land.

In Sicily, the Zappala family was noted in various old records and manuscripts, including land deeds and parish registers, where their contributions to agricultural development are mentioned. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a Sicilian document from 1282, detailing a land transaction in which Antonius Zappala was listed as a witness. This early appearance underscores the surname's historical roots in the agricultural practices of the region.

Throughout history, the surname Zappala has been associated with notable individuals who have contributed significantly to Italian culture and society. For instance, Carmelo Zappala, born in 1784 and died in 1857, was a well-respected botanist whose extensive research on Mediterranean flora earned him recognition in academic circles. Another prominent figure is the 19th-century artist Giuseppe Zappala, born in 1821 and died in 1894, renowned for his landscape paintings that vividly captured the essence of rural Sicily.

Further enriching the surname's historical tapestry, Luigi Zappala, an influential political figure born in 1873 and died in 1925, played a pivotal role in the early 20th century's socio-political reforms in southern Italy. His efforts were instrumental in advocating for farmers' rights and improving agricultural policies. In the realm of science, Maria Zappala, born in 1902 and deceased in 1985, made significant contributions as an archaeologist, excavating and documenting ancient Sicilian sites that provided insights into early Mediterranean civilizations.

In more recent historical contexts, contemporary classical composer Francesco Zappala, born in 1943 and still a prominent figure, continues to bear the surname. His works, deeply inspired by traditional Sicilian themes, have been performed globally, cementing the legacy of the Zappala name in modern cultural expressions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zappalà

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

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

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

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