2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Fuca
A toponymic surname derived from the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Fuca. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fuca 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Fuca in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fuca, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fuca
The surname FUCA is believed to have originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "fuca," which means "rouge" or "makeup." The name may have been initially used as a nickname for someone who wore excessive makeup or who worked in the cosmetics industry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name FUCA can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Abbey of Cava in southern Italy. The document, dated 1156, mentions a certain "Petrus de Fuca" who was a landowner in the region.
During the Renaissance period, the FUCA surname appears in several historical records from various parts of Italy. In 1492, a Leonardo Fuca is mentioned in the census records of Florence as a merchant dealing in textiles and dyes. Another notable individual from this era was Giulio Fuca, a renowned painter from Siena, who lived from 1525 to 1599.
The name FUCA also has a connection to the exploration of the Pacific Northwest region of North America. In 1592, the Greek navigator and explorer Apostolos Valerianos, also known as Juan de Fuca, claimed to have discovered the strait that bears his name (the Strait of Juan de Fuca) while seeking a Northwest Passage for the Spanish crown.
In the 17th century, the FUCA surname can be found in various Italian genealogical records. One prominent figure was Francesco Fuca, a lawyer and judge from Naples, who lived from 1612 to 1678. Another notable individual was Girolamo Fuca, a Venetian merchant and diplomat who was active in the early 1600s.
During the 18th century, the FUCA name continued to appear in Italian records, particularly in the regions of Campania and Lazio. One notable example is Vincenzo Fuca, a philosopher and writer from Naples, who lived from 1707 to 1779 and wrote extensively on ethics and metaphysics.
Throughout history, the FUCA surname has been associated with various professions, including merchants, artists, lawyers, and scholars. While not a particularly common name, it has left a lasting legacy in Italian history and culture, as well as in the exploration and naming of geographical features in the Pacific Northwest region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fuca
Among Census respondents with the surname Fuca, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Fuca 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 Fuca surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fuca
Fuca 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+2 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 6,436 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-16 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,017 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +2 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 6,436 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 16,017 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 Fuca 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 | #127,494 | #143,511 | -12.6% |
| Count | 134 | 118 | -11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fuca bearers went from 134 to 118 (-11.9% change). The surname moved down 16,017 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #143,511.
FAQ
Fuca surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fuca?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Fuca. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Fuca?
Fuca ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Fuca. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Fuca.
Has Fuca become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fuca went from 134 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 16 (-11.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Fuca?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fuca, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Fuca in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fuca appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Hispanic (2.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Fuca (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 Fuca mean?
A toponymic surname derived from the Strait of Juan de Fuca. 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 Fuca (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 common is the surname Fuca?
You can see how many people have the last name Fuca on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.