2000
#3,674
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,883
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.29
Rare Last name
Aiello
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who bred or traded birds, especially garlic-fed birds.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,807 Americans carry the last name Aiello. That puts it at #4,026 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,950 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aiello 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Aiello with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.8K
1 in 34,950
Census rank
#4,026
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,552 bearers of the surname Aiello in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4026th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aiello, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aiello
The surname Aiello originated in Italy and has its roots dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "aiello," which means "little meadow" or "small field." The name likely originated as a descriptive surname given to someone who lived near or owned a small meadow or field.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from southern Italy, particularly in the regions of Campania and Sicily. It is believed that the name was first used in the 12th or 13th century.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Aiello was Niccolò Aiello, a nobleman from the city of Naples who lived in the late 13th century. He was mentioned in several records related to land transactions and political affairs in the Kingdom of Naples.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in the Sicilian town of Monreale, where a family of Aiello was prominent in the local government and ecclesiastical affairs. One notable member was Giovanni Aiello, a cleric who served as the Bishop of Monreale from 1350 to 1369.
During the Renaissance period, the Aiello family gained prominence in the arts and literature. Bernardo Aiello, born in Palermo in 1490, was a renowned poet and playwright whose works were widely celebrated in his time.
In the 17th century, the name Aiello was found in various parts of Italy, including Calabria and Apulia. One notable figure was Domenico Aiello, a military officer from Cosenza who fought in the Thirty Years' War and was granted nobility by the Spanish Crown for his service.
Another prominent individual was Giuseppe Aiello, a Sicilian painter born in 1675 in Palermo. He was renowned for his religious works and frescoes adorning several churches in Sicily and Naples.
The surname Aiello continued to be present in various regions of Italy throughout the centuries, and it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration. However, its roots can be traced back to the small meadows and fields of medieval Italy, where it originated as a descriptive surname reflecting the local geography and occupation of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aiello
Among Census respondents with the surname Aiello, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Aiello 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 Aiello surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 7,740
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 492
- Two or more races2.4% · 208
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 73
- Black or African American0.4% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aiello
Aiello 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
#3,982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,927
+44 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 3.03
Rank movement Down 308 places
2020
#4,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,552
-375 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 2.86
Rank movement Down 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,674 | 8,883 | 3.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,982 | 8,927 | 3.03 | +44 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 308 places |
| 2020 | #4,026 | 8,552 | 2.86 | -375 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 44 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 Aiello 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 | #3,982 | #4,026 | -1.1% |
| Count | 8,927 | 8,552 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.03 | 2.86 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aiello bearers went from 8,927 to 8,552 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,982 to #4,026.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Aiello
FAQ
Aiello surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aiello?
Name Census estimates that about 9,807 living Americans carry the surname Aiello. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,950 residents.
How common is Aiello?
Aiello ranks #4,026 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,552 people with the surname Aiello. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,807), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Aiello.
Has Aiello become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aiello went from 8,927 recorded bearers to 8,552. That is a decrease of 375 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,982 to #4,026.
What does the Census say about the background of Aiello?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aiello, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Aiello in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (7,740 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aiello appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (5.8%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Aiello (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 Aiello mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who bred or traded birds, especially garlic-fed birds. 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 Aiello (2.86 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 Americans have the surname Aiello?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.