2000
#9,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,261
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Scala
An occupational surname referring to someone who climbs ladders or stairs, or a topographic name for a staircase.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,387 Americans carry the last name Scala. That puts it at #10,371 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,197 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scala 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
3.4K
1 in 101,197
Census rank
#10,371
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,954 bearers of the surname Scala in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10371st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scala, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scala
The surname Scala originates from Italy, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Italian word "scala," which means "staircase" or "ladder." The name is believed to have been initially given as a nickname or occupational name to individuals who were involved in the construction or maintenance of staircases, or perhaps lived near a significant stairway or ladder.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Scala appears in the historic Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Benedictine monastery of La Cava in southern Italy. This codex, dating back to the 11th century, mentions a certain "Petrus de Scala" in a document from the year 1041.
Another notable historical reference to the name Scala can be found in the Florentine Catasto of 1427, a tax record from the Republic of Florence. This document lists several individuals with the surname, including a Bartolomeo Scala and a Niccolò di Scala.
In the 15th century, a prominent member of the Scala family was Antonio Scala, a humanist scholar and diplomat from Florence. He was born around 1400 and served as the ambassador of the Florentine Republic to various European courts, including those of the Holy Roman Emperor and the King of France.
During the Renaissance period, the Scala family produced several notable figures in the arts and literature. One such individual was Bartolomeo Scala, a 16th-century poet and playwright from Venice, who was born in 1530 and is known for his works such as "Il Teatro delle Favole Rappresentative" (The Theatre of Fable Representations).
Moving forward to the 17th century, we find Flaminio Scala, an Italian scholar and antiquarian who was born in Naples in 1619. He is best known for his extensive collection of ancient inscriptions and his works on the history and antiquities of Naples.
In more recent times, the surname Scala has been associated with several influential individuals, including the 20th-century Italian opera singer and conductor, Renato Scala, who was born in 1884 and gained international acclaim for his performances in works by composers such as Verdi and Puccini.
While the surname Scala has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with notable bearers of the name found in countries like the United States, Argentina, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scala
Among Census respondents with the surname Scala, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Scala 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 Scala surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 2,668
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 193
- Two or more races2.0% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 19
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scala
Scala 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
#9,212
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,537
+276 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 14 places
2020
#10,371
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,954
-583 bearers (-16.5%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 1,159 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,198 | 3,261 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,212 | 3,537 | 1.20 | +276 bearers (+8.5%) | Down 14 places |
| 2020 | #10,371 | 2,954 | 0.99 | -583 bearers (-16.5%) | Down 1,159 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 Scala 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 | #9,212 | #10,371 | -12.6% |
| Count | 3,537 | 2,954 | -16.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.20 | 0.99 | -17.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scala bearers went from 3,537 to 2,954 (-16.5% change). The surname moved down 1,159 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,212 to #10,371.
FAQ
Scala surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scala?
Name Census estimates that about 3,387 living Americans carry the surname Scala. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,197 residents.
How common is Scala?
Scala ranks #10,371 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,954 people with the surname Scala. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,387), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Scala.
Has Scala become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scala went from 3,537 recorded bearers to 2,954. That is a decrease of 583 (-16.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,212 to #10,371.
What does the Census say about the background of Scala?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scala, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Scala in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (2,668 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scala appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (6.5%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Scala (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 Scala mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who climbs ladders or stairs, or a topographic name for a staircase. 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 Scala (0.99 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 Scala?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.