Explore the Family Name Palla

The meaning of Palla

1. Italian: from palla ‘ball’, used as a metonymic occupational name for a maker of cannon balls or as a nickname for a player of ball games or someone with a rotund figure. 2. Italian: from Palla, a short form of the personal name Pallade, derived from Greek Pallas, an alternate name of the goddess Athena. 3. Galician: probably a nickname from palla ‘straw’. 4. Hungarian: from the personal name Pál (see Pal). 5. Czech, Slovak, and Polish: variant of Pala and, in North America, also an altered form of this. 6. Albanian: nickname or metonymic occupational name from pallë (definite form palla) ‘battle sword’. 7. Indian (Gujarat): Muslim name of unexplained etymology. 8. Indian (Punjab): Sikh name, probably from Punjabi pəllā ‘edge of a garment, support’. Some characteristic forenames: Indian Bhanu, Prasad, Anila, Kavita, Suvarna.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Palla in the United States?

According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Palla has seen a rise in its popularity in the United States between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Palla was ranked 38,644th most popular surname, but by 2010 it had risen to 34,272nd position, marking an increase of 11.31%. Additionally, the count of people with this surname grew from 538 to 662 during the same period, representing a significant increase of 23.05%. The proportion per 100,000 people also rose by 10%, moving from 0.2 in 2000 to 0.22 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#38,644#34,27211.31%
Count53866223.05%
Proportion per 100k0.20.2210%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Palla

In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some interesting shifts for the surname Palla between 2000 and 2010. The proportion identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander saw a dramatic increase of 159.58%, jumping from 10.59% to 27.49%. Meanwhile, the percentage of those identifying as White decreased from 83.83% to 64.20%, a drop of 23.42%. There was also an uptick in the Hispanic representation, with the percentage going up from 4.65% to 6.95%, a rise of 49.46%. No changes were observed for those identifying as two or more races, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native.

20002010Change
White83.83%64.2%-23.42%
Asian/Pacific Islander10.59%27.49%159.58%
Hispanic4.65%6.95%49.46%
Two or More Races0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%