2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bertuca
A name of possible Italian origin, potentially derived from a place name or nickname.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Bertuca. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bertuca 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Bertuca in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bertuca, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bertuca
The surname Bertuca has its origins in Italy, with records of the name dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "bertuccia," which means "little monkey." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone who exhibited monkey-like behavior or physical characteristics.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Bertuca can be found in the archives of the city of Genoa, Italy, where a merchant named Giovanni Bertuca was mentioned in a document dated 1487. This document details a trade agreement between Giovanni and a Venetian merchant.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in the records of the town of Montefiore Conca, located in the Marche region of Italy. A family by the name of Bertuca was registered as landowners in the area, with their estate being passed down through generations.
One notable bearer of the surname was Francesco Bertuca, born in 1612 in Rimini, Italy. He was a renowned artist and sculptor, renowned for his intricate marble carvings and religious statues adorning churches throughout Italy.
Another significant figure was Pietro Bertuca, born in 1734 in Naples. He was a prominent lawyer and legal scholar, known for his contributions to the development of Italian jurisprudence during the 18th century.
In the 19th century, the name Bertuca gained recognition in the literary world with the Italian writer and poet, Carlotta Bertuca. Born in 1825 in Milan, she published several collections of poetry that explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition.
The surname Bertuca has also been found in historical records from other parts of Italy, such as Tuscany and Sicily, suggesting that the name spread across various regions over the centuries.
While the name's origins remain rooted in Italy, it has since been carried by individuals who have migrated to other parts of the world, contributing to the global diversity of the Bertuca surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bertuca
Among Census respondents with the surname Bertuca, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bertuca 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 Bertuca surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 6
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bertuca
Bertuca 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-4 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,558 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+6 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,367 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 13,558 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.5%) | Up 4,367 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 Bertuca 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 | #149,395 | #145,028 | 2.9% |
| Count | 110 | 116 | 5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bertuca bearers went from 110 to 116 (+5.5% change). The surname moved up 4,367 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #145,028.
FAQ
Bertuca surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bertuca?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Bertuca. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Bertuca?
Bertuca ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 116 people with the surname Bertuca. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Bertuca.
Has Bertuca become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bertuca went from 110 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 6 (+5.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Bertuca?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bertuca, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Bertuca in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bertuca appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (5.2%), Black (1.7%). 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 Bertuca (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 Bertuca mean?
A name of possible Italian origin, potentially derived from a place name or nickname. 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 Bertuca (0.04 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 surname Bertuca?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.