2000
#80,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 218
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Funicello
An Italian surname derived from "funicullo" meaning a small rope or cord.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 222 Americans carry the last name Funicello. That puts it at #99,694 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,543,938 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Funicello 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
222
1 in 1,543,938
Census rank
#99,694
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
194
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 194 bearers of the surname Funicello in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 99694th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Funicello, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Funicello
The surname Funicello originates from Italy and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Italian word "funicella," which means a small rope or cord. The name likely referred to an occupation or trade involving the production or use of ropes or cords.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Funicello can be found in the historical archives of the city of Naples, where a family of that name was documented in the late 1500s. The name was also prevalent in other regions of southern Italy, such as Calabria and Sicily.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, as Italian immigration to other parts of Europe and the Americas increased, the Funicello surname began to appear in various records and documents outside of Italy. For instance, there are mentions of individuals with this last name in Spanish colonial records from the late 1600s, indicating the presence of Funicello families in the Caribbean and Latin American regions.
One notable figure with the surname Funicello was Annette Funicello (1942-2013), an American actress and singer who rose to fame as a Mouseketeer on the original Mickey Mouse Club television series in the 1950s. She later had a successful career in films and as a recording artist.
Another historical figure was Giuseppe Funicello (1848-1923), an Italian architect and engineer who was instrumental in the construction of several notable buildings and infrastructure projects in Naples and other parts of southern Italy during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the realm of literature, there was also a writer named Vincenzo Funicello (1901-1963), who was known for his works exploring the cultural traditions and folklore of his native Calabria region in southern Italy.
Additionally, the Funicello name has been associated with several prominent families in the wine-making industry, particularly in the regions of Tuscany and Piedmont, where vineyards and wineries bearing this surname have been in operation for generations.
Throughout its history, the Funicello surname has maintained a strong presence in Italy and among Italian communities around the world, reflecting its deep roots and cultural significance within the Italian diaspora.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Funicello
Among Census respondents with the surname Funicello, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Funicello 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 Funicello surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.0% · 163
- Hispanic or Latino10.3% · 20
- Two or more races4.1% · 8
- Black or African American1.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Funicello
Funicello 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
#85,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 219
+1 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 4,545 places
2020
#99,694
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 194
-25 bearers (-11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 14,337 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #80,812 | 218 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #85,357 | 219 | 0.07 | +1 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 4,545 places |
| 2020 | #99,694 | 194 | 0.06 | -25 bearers (-11.4%) | Down 14,337 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 Funicello 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 | #85,357 | #99,694 | -16.8% |
| Count | 219 | 194 | -11.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.06 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Funicello bearers went from 219 to 194 (-11.4% change). The surname moved down 14,337 positions in the national ranking, going from #85,357 to #99,694.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Funicello
FAQ
Funicello surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Funicello?
Name Census estimates that about 222 living Americans carry the surname Funicello. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,543,938 residents.
How common is Funicello?
Funicello ranks #99,694 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 194 people with the surname Funicello. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (222), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Funicello.
Has Funicello become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Funicello went from 219 recorded bearers to 194. That is a decrease of 25 (-11.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #85,357 to #99,694.
What does the Census say about the background of Funicello?
Among Census respondents with the surname Funicello, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Funicello in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.0% (163 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Funicello appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.0%), Hispanic (10.3%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Funicello (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 Funicello mean?
An Italian surname derived from "funicullo" meaning a small rope or cord. 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 Funicello (0.06 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 have the last name Funicello?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Funicello? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.