2000
#96,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 175
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Bruzzi
An Italian surname derived from the word "bruzzo," meaning rough or rustic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 228 Americans carry the last name Bruzzi. That puts it at #97,730 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,503,309 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bruzzi 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
228
1 in 1,503,309
Census rank
#97,730
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
199
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 199 bearers of the surname Bruzzi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 97730th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruzzi, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bruzzi
The surname Bruzzi originated in Italy, specifically in the regions of Tuscany and Liguria. It is derived from the Latin word "bruscus," meaning "box tree" or "bush." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived near or worked with bushes or dense vegetation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bruzzi can be found in the Codice Diplomatico della Lombardia Medievale, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Lombardy. In this collection, a person named Bruzzi is mentioned in a document dated 1196.
Another historical reference to the name Bruzzi can be found in the Libro dei Battezzati, a baptismal record from the city of Genoa, which dates back to the 15th century. In this record, the name "Bruzzi" appears multiple times, indicating that the name was already well-established in the region during that period.
During the Renaissance period, the city of Florence was home to a notable family called the Bruzzi. One of the most famous members of this family was Ambrogio Bruzzi (1455-1525), a renowned sculptor and architect who worked on several notable projects in Florence, including the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella and the Palazzo Vecchio.
In the 17th century, a man named Giovanni Battista Bruzzi (1618-1692) gained recognition as a painter and engraver in Rome. His works can be found in various churches and galleries throughout Italy.
Another notable individual with the surname Bruzzi was Vincenzo Bruzzi (1810-1886), an Italian politician and statesman who served as the Minister of Public Works in the Kingdom of Italy during the mid-19th century.
In the late 19th century, a famous Italian archaeologist named Luigi Bruzzi (1857-1936) made significant contributions to the study of ancient Roman architecture and excavated numerous important sites in Italy and North Africa.
The name Bruzzi has also been associated with various place names in Italy, such as the town of Bruzzi in the province of Reggio Calabria and the Bruzzi Valley in the Ligurian Apennines.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bruzzi
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruzzi, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bruzzi 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 Bruzzi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.4% · 170
- Hispanic or Latino10.1% · 20
- Two or more races2.0% · 4
- Black or African American1.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bruzzi
Bruzzi 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
#91,625
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 201
+26 bearers (+14.9%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 4,855 places
2020
#97,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 199
-2 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 6,105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #96,480 | 175 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #91,625 | 201 | 0.07 | +26 bearers (+14.9%) | Up 4,855 places |
| 2020 | #97,730 | 199 | 0.07 | -2 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 6,105 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 Bruzzi 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 | #91,625 | #97,730 | -6.7% |
| Count | 201 | 199 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bruzzi bearers went from 201 to 199 (-1.0% change). The surname moved down 6,105 positions in the national ranking, going from #91,625 to #97,730.
FAQ
Bruzzi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bruzzi?
Name Census estimates that about 228 living Americans carry the surname Bruzzi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,503,309 residents.
How common is Bruzzi?
Bruzzi ranks #97,730 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 199 people with the surname Bruzzi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (228), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Bruzzi.
Has Bruzzi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bruzzi went from 201 recorded bearers to 199. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #91,625 to #97,730.
What does the Census say about the background of Bruzzi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bruzzi, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Bruzzi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.4% (170 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bruzzi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.4%), Hispanic (10.1%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Bruzzi (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 Bruzzi mean?
An Italian surname derived from the word "bruzzo," meaning rough or rustic. 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 Bruzzi (0.07 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 Bruzzi?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.