Find out how popular the last name Brienza is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Brienza.

Brienza, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Brienza surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Brienza in America

Brienza is the 29604th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brienza surname appeared 796 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Brienza.

We can also compare 2010 data for Brienza to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Brienza

The surname Brienza originated in Italy and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is derived from the name of the town of Brienza, located in the province of Potenza, in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. The town's name is believed to come from the Latin word "brivium," which means a place where two roads meet or cross.

In the 11th century, the town of Brienza was a prosperous center of trade and commerce, and many families adopted the town's name as their surname. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brienza can be found in a document from 1086, which mentions a certain "Petrus de Brienza."

Throughout the centuries, the Brienza surname has been associated with various notable figures. In the 13th century, a Franciscan friar named Antonius Brienza (1235-1292) gained recognition for his scholarly works on theology and philosophy. Another Brienza of note was Niccolò Brienza (1442-1511), a renowned architect who contributed to the construction of several churches and palaces in Naples and its surrounding areas.

In the 16th century, the Brienza family played a significant role in the political and military affairs of the Kingdom of Naples. Giovanni Battista Brienza (1516-1586) served as a captain in the Neapolitan army and was known for his bravery in battles against the Ottomans. His son, Fabrizio Brienza (1548-1612), followed in his footsteps and became a respected military leader.

During the Renaissance, the Brienza surname was also associated with the arts. Girolamo Brienza (1572-1624) was a painter and sculptor who worked in Naples and Rome, creating religious works and portraits for wealthy patrons.

In more recent times, the surname Brienza has maintained its presence in Italy and has also spread to other parts of the world through immigration. Notable individuals with this surname include the Italian politician and journalist Salvatore Brienza (1918-2006) and the American baseball player Frank Brienza (1939-2018).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Brienza

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Brienza.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Brienza was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Brienza has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Brienza was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Brienza, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!