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Portella Family History

Portella Surname Meaning

Catalan: habitational name from Portella in Lleida or La Portella in Barcelona or Tarragona provinces Catalonia (Spain) so named from a diminutive of porta ‘gate’.

Italian: from Sicilian purtedda ‘portal door pass’ applied as a topographic name or as a habitational name from any of numerous places called with this word notably Portella di Mare in Misilmeri Palermo.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Portella family from?

You can see how Portella families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Portella family name was found in the USA, and Canada between 1880 and 1920. The most Portella families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 9 Portella families living in Ontario. This was 100% of all the recorded Portella's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Portella families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Portella surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Portella ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Clerk and Seamstress were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Portella. 28% of Portella men worked as a Clerk and 100% of Portella women worked as a Seamstress.

View Census Data for Portella | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

United States shown, Canada data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Clerk
    28%
  • Dyer
    19%
  • Baker
    19%
  • Laborer
    19%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Seamstress
    100%

What Portella family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 825 census records available for the last name Portella. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Portella census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Portella

Passenger Lists

There are 894 immigration records available for the last name Portella. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Portella immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 280 military records available for the last name Portella. For the veterans among your Portella ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Portella military records

You've only scratched the surface of Portella family history

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What is the average Portella lifespan?

Between 1963 and 2004, in the United States, Portella life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1977, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Portella in 1963 was 71, and 63 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Portella

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Portella ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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