2000
#24,615
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 951
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.35
Rare Last name
Larussa
An Italianized derivative of French "la rousse" meaning "the redhead."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,041 Americans carry the last name Larussa. That puts it at #28,009 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 329,255 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Larussa 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
1.0K
1 in 329,255
Census rank
#28,009
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
908
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 908 bearers of the surname Larussa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 28009th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Larussa, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Larussa
The surname LaRussa has its origins in Italy, specifically in the regions of Sicily and Calabria. The name is believed to have derived from the Latin word "rossa," meaning "red," likely referring to someone with reddish hair or complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LaRussa can be traced back to the 12th century. In a manuscript from the Benedictine monastery of San Giovanni degli Eremiti in Palermo, Sicily, there is a mention of a nobleman named Ruggero LaRussa, who donated land to the monastery in 1178.
During the Renaissance period, the name LaRussa appeared in various documents and records, particularly in the city of Messina, Sicily. A notable figure from this time was Antonio LaRussa, a renowned architect who designed several churches and palaces in Messina between 1520 and 1580.
In the 17th century, the LaRussa family established itself in the town of Reggio Calabria, located in the southern part of the Italian peninsula. A prominent member of the family during this period was Girolamo LaRussa, a lawyer and judge who served in the court of King Philip IV of Spain, which ruled over the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily from 1621 to 1665.
The 18th century saw the LaRussa name spread to other parts of Italy, including the regions of Campania and Lazio. One notable individual from this era was Giuseppe LaRussa, a military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the Legion of Honor by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in 1809.
In the 19th century, several members of the LaRussa family emigrated to the United States, settling in various cities such as New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States was that of Vincenzo LaRussa, who arrived in New York in 1848 and later became a successful businessman.
Another prominent figure with the surname LaRussa was Tony LaRussa, an Italian-American baseball manager who was born in 1944. He managed several Major League Baseball teams, including the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Larussa
Among Census respondents with the surname Larussa, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Larussa 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 Larussa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 822
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 44
- Two or more races2.5% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 9
- Black or African American0.9% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Larussa
Larussa 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
#25,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 974
+23 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.33
Rank movement Down 788 places
2020
#28,009
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 908
-66 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Down 2,606 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,615 | 951 | 0.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #25,403 | 974 | 0.33 | +23 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 788 places |
| 2020 | #28,009 | 908 | 0.30 | -66 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 2,606 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 Larussa 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 | #25,403 | #28,009 | -10.3% |
| Count | 974 | 908 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.33 | 0.30 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Larussa bearers went from 974 to 908 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 2,606 positions in the national ranking, going from #25,403 to #28,009.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Larussa
FAQ
Larussa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Larussa?
Name Census estimates that about 1,041 living Americans carry the surname Larussa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 329,255 residents.
How common is Larussa?
Larussa ranks #28,009 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.30 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 908 people with the surname Larussa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,041), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.30 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 Larussa.
Has Larussa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Larussa went from 974 recorded bearers to 908. That is a decrease of 66 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #25,403 to #28,009.
What does the Census say about the background of Larussa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Larussa, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Larussa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (822 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Larussa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Larussa (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 Larussa mean?
An Italianized derivative of French "la rousse" meaning "the redhead." 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 Larussa (0.30 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 Larussa?
You can see how many people have the surname Larussa on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.