2000
#16,035
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,661
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.62
Rare Last name
Brizuela
A Spanish surname of Basque origin, possibly derived from the Basque word "berriz," meaning "small pine forest."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,244 Americans carry the last name Brizuela. That puts it at #10,777 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,658 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brizuela 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
3.2K
1 in 105,658
Census rank
#10,777
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,829 bearers of the surname Brizuela in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10777th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brizuela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brizuela
The surname Brizuela is of Spanish origin, deriving from the place name "Brizuela" which is a municipality located in the province of Soria, Castile and León, Spain. The name is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, potentially as early as the 9th or 10th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Brizuela dates back to the 13th century, appearing in historical documents from the region of Castile and León. It is speculated that the name may have originated from the Latin word "briza," meaning "a type of grass," which could suggest a connection to agricultural or pastoral activities in the area.
During the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Brizuela was Juan de Brizuela, a Spanish nobleman and military commander who participated in the Reconquista, the series of campaigns aimed at reclaiming the Iberian Peninsula from Moorish rule. Juan de Brizuela was born in 1420 and died in 1498.
In the 16th century, another individual with the surname Brizuela left a mark on history. Hernando de Brizuela was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés during the conquest of Mexico. Brizuela played a significant role in the fall of the Aztec Empire, and his name is mentioned in several historical accounts from that period.
As the Spanish Empire expanded, the surname Brizuela spread across the Americas, particularly to regions such as Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina. One notable bearer of the name was Juan Manuel Brizuela, an Argentine military officer and politician who served as the Governor of the province of Córdoba from 1860 to 1862.
In more recent times, Brizuela has been the surname of several prominent individuals, including Luis Brizuela, a Chilean author and poet born in 1949, and Leopoldo Brizuela, an Argentine novelist and essayist born in 1963.
While the surname Brizuela may have originated from a specific place in Spain, it has since become widely dispersed throughout various parts of the world, particularly in Latin American countries, reflecting the spread of the Spanish language and culture during the era of exploration and colonization.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brizuela
Among Census respondents with the surname Brizuela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Brizuela 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 Brizuela surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.0% · 2,603
- White4.1% · 115
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 94
- Two or more races0.4% · 10
- Black or African American0.1% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brizuela
Brizuela 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
#12,255
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,538
+877 bearers (+52.8%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 3,780 places
2020
#10,777
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,829
+291 bearers (+11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 1,478 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,035 | 1,661 | 0.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,255 | 2,538 | 0.86 | +877 bearers (+52.8%) | Up 3,780 places |
| 2020 | #10,777 | 2,829 | 0.95 | +291 bearers (+11.5%) | Up 1,478 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 Brizuela 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 | #12,255 | #10,777 | 12.1% |
| Count | 2,538 | 2,829 | 11.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.95 | 10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brizuela bearers went from 2,538 to 2,829 (+11.5% change). The surname moved up 1,478 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,255 to #10,777.
FAQ
Brizuela surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brizuela?
Name Census estimates that about 3,244 living Americans carry the surname Brizuela. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,658 residents.
How common is Brizuela?
Brizuela ranks #10,777 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,829 people with the surname Brizuela. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,244), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Brizuela.
Has Brizuela become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brizuela went from 2,538 recorded bearers to 2,829. That is an increase of 291 (+11.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,255 to #10,777.
What does the Census say about the background of Brizuela?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brizuela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Brizuela in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (2,603 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brizuela appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.0%), White (4.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%). 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 Brizuela (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 Brizuela mean?
A Spanish surname of Basque origin, possibly derived from the Basque word "berriz," meaning "small pine forest." 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 Brizuela (0.95 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 Brizuela?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.