2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bruza
An occupational surname derived from the Polish word "bruzda" meaning furrow or trench, likely referring to a digger.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Bruza. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bruza 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Bruza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruza, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bruza
The surname BRUZA is believed to have originated in the Italian region of Veneto, specifically in the province of Verona. The name can be traced back to the 13th century, and it is believed to be derived from the Italian word "bruza," which means "bramble" or "thicket."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BRUZA can be found in the archives of the city of Verona, where a document from 1276 mentions a certain "Guglielmo Bruza" as a landowner in the area. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
During the Renaissance period, the name BRUZA appears in several historical records and documents. In 1458, a merchant named Niccolò Bruza is mentioned in the records of the Venetian Republic, indicating that members of the family were engaged in trade and commerce.
The name BRUZA can also be found in some of the earliest printed books and manuscripts from the region. In 1492, a work titled "De Re Rustica" by Pietro de' Crescenzi included a reference to a certain "Bartolomeo Bruza" as a respected farmer and landowner in the Veneto region.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname BRUZA. One of the earliest was Giovanni Battista Bruza (1525-1592), a Renaissance painter and architect from Verona who was commissioned to work on several churches and palaces in the city.
Another notable figure was Girolamo Bruza (1670-1743), a Venetian lawyer and jurist who served as a judge in the Republic of Venice and authored several influential legal treatises.
In the 19th century, Antonio Bruza (1815-1892) was a prominent Italian politician and writer who served as a member of the Italian parliament and wrote extensively on issues of social reform and nationalism.
More recently, Enrico Bruza (1921-2008) was an Italian businessman and philanthropist who founded a successful textile company and donated a significant portion of his wealth to various charitable causes.
It is worth noting that the name BRUZA has also been found in other regions of Italy, such as Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, though its origins can be traced back to the Veneto region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bruza
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruza, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bruza 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 Bruza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.3% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino14.3% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.4% · 4
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bruza
Bruza 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
-6 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,932 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-6 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,076 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 12,932 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 8,076 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 Bruza 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 | #134,712 | #142,788 | -6.0% |
| Count | 125 | 119 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bruza bearers went from 125 to 119 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 8,076 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #142,788.
FAQ
Bruza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bruza?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Bruza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Bruza?
Bruza ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Bruza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Bruza.
Has Bruza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bruza went from 125 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Bruza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruza, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.4%). 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 Bruza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.3% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bruza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.3%), Hispanic (14.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.4%). 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 Bruza (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 Bruza mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Polish word "bruzda" meaning furrow or trench, likely referring to a digger. 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 Bruza (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 Americans have the surname Bruza?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.