2000
#27,669
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 819
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.30
Very Rare Last name
Zeoli
An Italian surname derived from a place name in Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 885 Americans carry the last name Zeoli. That puts it at #32,025 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 387,293 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zeoli 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
885
1 in 387,293
Census rank
#32,025
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
772
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 772 bearers of the surname Zeoli in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 32025th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zeoli, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zeoli
The surname Zeoli is of Italian origin, dating back to the medieval period. Its roots can be traced to southern Italy, particularly in the regions of Campania and Basilicata. The name Zeoli likely derives from the given name Zeolo, which is an Italian diminutive or pet form of the name Ezio. Ezio itself originates from the Latin name Aetius, which is derived from the Greek name Aetios, meaning "eagle." The suffix "-li" is a common diminutive in Italian, signifying "little" or "beloved."
Historical references to the surname Zeoli are sparse but can be found in church records and legal documents from the 16th and 17th centuries in southern Italy. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname appears in a baptismal record from the town of Benevento in Campania, dated 1572, where a Giovanni Zeoli is mentioned as the father of the baptized child. Another early mention is found in a legal document from Matera in Basilicata, where a Francesco Zeoli is listed as a witness to a property transaction in 1625.
Over time, the surname Zeoli appears in various forms and spellings, such as Zoli and Zioli, reflecting the regional dialects and orthographic variations of the Italian language. As migration within Italy and to other countries increased, the name retained its core spelling but continued to adapt to new linguistic environments.
Famous individuals bearing the surname Zeoli include Giuseppe Zeoli, a prominent 18th-century sculptor from Naples known for his religious and classical sculptures, born in 1710 and died in 1783. Another notable figure is Rosaria Zeoli, a 19th-century poet from Campania whose works contributed to the Italian literary movement of the Romantic era, born in 1827 and died in 1895. In the 20th century, Enrico Zeoli gained recognition as an influential political figure in the post-World War II period, serving as a senator in the Italian parliament from 1953 to 1968, born in 1905 and died in 1973. The surname also appears in the arts, with Maria Zeoli, an accomplished operatic soprano who performed in major European opera houses in the early 20th century, born in 1888 and died in 1954. Finally, Antonio Zeoli, a notable academic and historian from Rome, made significant contributions to the field of Renaissance studies, born in 1921 and died in 1999.
The surname Zeoli, with its deep historical roots and connections to various regions in Italy, reflects a rich cultural heritage. It signifies a lineage that has contributed to various fields, from the arts and literature to politics and academia, over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zeoli
Among Census respondents with the surname Zeoli, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Zeoli 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 Zeoli surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 719
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 30
- Two or more races2.6% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 2
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zeoli
Zeoli 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
#28,729
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 829
+10 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Down 1,060 places
2020
#32,025
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 772
-57 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Down 3,296 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,669 | 819 | 0.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,729 | 829 | 0.28 | +10 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 1,060 places |
| 2020 | #32,025 | 772 | 0.26 | -57 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 3,296 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 Zeoli 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 | #28,729 | #32,025 | -11.5% |
| Count | 829 | 772 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.28 | 0.26 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zeoli bearers went from 829 to 772 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 3,296 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,729 to #32,025.
FAQ
Zeoli surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zeoli?
Name Census estimates that about 885 living Americans carry the surname Zeoli. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 387,293 residents.
How common is Zeoli?
Zeoli ranks #32,025 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.26 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 772 people with the surname Zeoli. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (885), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.26 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 Zeoli.
Has Zeoli become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zeoli went from 829 recorded bearers to 772. That is a decrease of 57 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #28,729 to #32,025.
What does the Census say about the background of Zeoli?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zeoli, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Zeoli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (719 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zeoli appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Zeoli (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 Zeoli mean?
An Italian surname derived from a place name in Italy. 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 Zeoli (0.26 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 are called Zeoli?
Find out how many people have the last name Zeoli on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.