2000
#6,254
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,028
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.86
Rare Last name
Lanza
An Italian occupational surname referring to a soldier armed with a lance or spear.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,266 Americans carry the last name Lanza. That puts it at #6,040 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,701 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lanza 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lanza with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.3K
1 in 54,701
Census rank
#6,040
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,464 bearers of the surname Lanza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6040th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lanza, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.2%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lanza
The surname Lanza originated in Italy, specifically in the regions of Tuscany and Lombardy. It is derived from the Italian word "lancia," which means "lance" or "spear." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational name for a soldier or a person skilled in using a lance or a spear.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Lanza can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various Italian documents and records. One notable example is the mention of a Lanza family in the historical records of the city of Verona in the 14th century.
In the 15th century, the name Lanza appeared in the Florentine Catasto, a census-like document that recorded the names and properties of citizens in Florence. This indicates the presence of the Lanza family in the Tuscan region during that time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Lanza was Giovanni Lanza (1451-1537), an Italian poet and humanist from Veneto. He was renowned for his Latin poetry and served as a diplomat for the Republic of Venice.
Another notable figure with this surname was Andrea Lanza (1628-1713), an Italian painter and architect from Sicily. He was known for his Baroque-style paintings and his architectural work on several churches in Palermo.
In the 19th century, Giovanni Lanza (1810-1882) was an Italian statesman and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Italy from 1869 to 1873. He played a crucial role in the unification of Italy and the establishment of the Kingdom of Italy.
Another prominent individual with the surname Lanza was Pietro Lanza di Scalea (1828-1901), an Italian politician and nobleman from Sicily. He served as a member of the Italian Parliament and was known for his conservative political views.
In the 20th century, Mario Lanza (1921-1959) was an American tenor and film actor of Italian descent. He rose to fame for his operatic performances and his portrayal of operatic characters in several Hollywood films, including "The Great Caruso" and "Serenade."
These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname Lanza throughout history, showcasing the name's Italian origin and its presence across various regions of Italy over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lanza
Among Census respondents with the surname Lanza, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.2%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lanza 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 Lanza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.1% · 3,610
- Hispanic or Latino29.2% · 1,598
- Two or more races1.8% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 81
- Black or African American0.8% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lanza
Lanza 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
#5,923
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,819
+791 bearers (+15.7%)
Per 100,000 1.97
Rank movement Up 331 places
2020
#6,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,464
-355 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.83
Rank movement Down 117 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,254 | 5,028 | 1.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,923 | 5,819 | 1.97 | +791 bearers (+15.7%) | Up 331 places |
| 2020 | #6,040 | 5,464 | 1.83 | -355 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 117 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 Lanza 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 | #5,923 | #6,040 | -2.0% |
| Count | 5,819 | 5,464 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.97 | 1.83 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lanza bearers went from 5,819 to 5,464 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 117 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,923 to #6,040.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lanza
FAQ
Lanza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lanza?
Name Census estimates that about 6,266 living Americans carry the surname Lanza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,701 residents.
How common is Lanza?
Lanza ranks #6,040 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,464 people with the surname Lanza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,266), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Lanza.
Has Lanza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lanza went from 5,819 recorded bearers to 5,464. That is a decrease of 355 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,923 to #6,040.
What does the Census say about the background of Lanza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lanza, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.2%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Lanza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.1% (3,610 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lanza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.1%), Hispanic (29.2%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Lanza (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 Lanza mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a soldier armed with a lance or spear. 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 Lanza (1.83 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 Lanza?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.