2000
#117,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Schinella
A habitational surname for someone from a place named Schinella, possibly derived from Italian.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 226 Americans carry the last name Schinella. That puts it at #98,501 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,516,612 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schinella 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
226
1 in 1,516,612
Census rank
#98,501
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
197
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 197 bearers of the surname Schinella in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 98501st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schinella, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.7%) and Two or More Races (6.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schinella
The surname SCHINELLA is of Italian origin, and it is believed to have originated in the southern region of Campania during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Italian word "scinella," which means a small splinter or chip of wood, possibly referring to an ancestor's occupation as a woodworker or carpenter.
SCHINELLA is a variation of the more common Italian surname "Scinella," which has been documented in historical records from as early as the 16th century. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the baptismal records of the town of Salerno, where a certain "Giovannis Scinella" was recorded in 1579.
In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other regions of Italy, including Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. Historical records from this period suggest that the SCHINELLA family may have been involved in the production of wine, as several members were listed as vineyard owners or vintners.
One notable bearer of the SCHINELLA surname was Antonio SCHINELLA, a renowned artist and sculptor who lived in Naples during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. His works can still be found in several churches and museums throughout southern Italy.
Another prominent figure was Vincenzo SCHINELLA, a Neapolitan playwright and poet who lived from 1670 to 1735. He is best known for his comedic plays, which were widely performed in Naples and other Italian cities during the early 18th century.
In the 19th century, the SCHINELLA surname gained some prominence in the field of medicine. Giuseppe SCHINELLA (1810-1887) was a respected physician and professor of anatomy at the University of Naples, while his son, Francesco SCHINELLA (1845-1912), followed in his footsteps and became a renowned surgeon.
The name SCHINELLA has also been associated with several small towns and villages in the Campania region, such as Schinellese and Schinellara, which may have been named after early settlers bearing this surname.
While the SCHINELLA surname is not as common as some other Italian surnames, it has left its mark on the cultural and historical fabric of Italy, particularly in the southern regions where it originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schinella
Among Census respondents with the surname Schinella, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.7%) and Two or More Races (6.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Schinella 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 Schinella surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.2% · 160
- Hispanic or Latino10.7% · 21
- Two or more races6.6% · 13
- Black or African American0.5% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schinella
Schinella 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
#103,655
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 173
+36 bearers (+26.3%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 13,883 places
2020
#98,501
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 197
+24 bearers (+13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 5,154 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #117,538 | 137 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #103,655 | 173 | 0.06 | +36 bearers (+26.3%) | Up 13,883 places |
| 2020 | #98,501 | 197 | 0.07 | +24 bearers (+13.9%) | Up 5,154 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 Schinella 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 | #103,655 | #98,501 | 5.0% |
| Count | 173 | 197 | 13.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.07 | 9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schinella bearers went from 173 to 197 (+13.9% change). The surname moved up 5,154 positions in the national ranking, going from #103,655 to #98,501.
FAQ
Schinella surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schinella?
Name Census estimates that about 226 living Americans carry the surname Schinella. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,516,612 residents.
How common is Schinella?
Schinella ranks #98,501 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 197 people with the surname Schinella. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (226), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Schinella.
Has Schinella become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schinella went from 173 recorded bearers to 197. That is an increase of 24 (+13.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #103,655 to #98,501.
What does the Census say about the background of Schinella?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schinella, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.7%) and Two or More Races (6.6%). 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 Schinella in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.2% (160 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schinella appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.2%), Hispanic (10.7%), Two or More Races (6.6%). 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 Schinella (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 Schinella mean?
A habitational surname for someone from a place named Schinella, possibly derived from Italian. 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 Schinella (0.07 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 Schinella?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Schinella at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.