2000
#45,909
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 438
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Lonzo
A Sicilian surname deriving from the medieval Italian personal name Lonzo, a pet form of Lorenzo.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 534 Americans carry the last name Lonzo. That puts it at #48,879 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 641,862 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lonzo 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
534
1 in 641,862
Census rank
#48,879
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
466
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 466 bearers of the surname Lonzo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 48879th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lonzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.1%. The next largest groups are Black (35.4%) and Hispanic (11.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lonzo
The surname "LONZO" is believed to have originated in Italy, specifically in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria, during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Italian word "lonzo," which means "loin" or "haunch" in English. This term was likely used as a descriptive nickname for someone who had a distinctive physical characteristic related to their hips or thighs.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "LONZO" can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Longobardo, a collection of medieval documents from the Lombard kingdom in Italy, dating back to the 8th century. This suggests that the name may have its roots in the Lombard culture, which ruled large parts of Italy during that time.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Guido Lonzo was mentioned in the chronicles of the city of Perugia, in Umbria. He was a prominent merchant and landowner, indicating that the name had gained some social standing by that point.
During the Renaissance period, the name "LONZO" appeared in several historical records, such as the archives of the Medici family in Florence. In 1492, a man named Bartolomeo Lonzo was recorded as a court painter in the service of Lorenzo de' Medici, one of the most influential patrons of the arts at the time.
In the 16th century, a famous Italian architect and military engineer named Giovanni Battista Lonzo (1525-1608) worked on several fortifications and buildings throughout Italy, including the Palazzo Pitti in Florence.
Another notable figure with the surname "LONZO" was Francesco Lonzo (1670-1744), an Italian painter and engraver from the Baroque period, known for his religious works and portraits.
Throughout the centuries, the name "LONZO" has also been associated with various place names in Italy, such as the village of Lonzo in the province of Trento, and the Lonzo River in Tuscany. These geographical connections further reinforce the Italian origins of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lonzo
Among Census respondents with the surname Lonzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.1%. The next largest groups are Black (35.4%) and Hispanic (11.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lonzo 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 Lonzo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.1% · 238
- Black or African American35.4% · 165
- Hispanic or Latino11.8% · 55
- Two or more races1.7% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lonzo
Lonzo 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
#52,851
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 392
-46 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 6,942 places
2020
#48,879
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 466
+74 bearers (+18.9%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Up 3,972 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #45,909 | 438 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #52,851 | 392 | 0.13 | -46 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 6,942 places |
| 2020 | #48,879 | 466 | 0.16 | +74 bearers (+18.9%) | Up 3,972 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 Lonzo 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 | #52,851 | #48,879 | 7.5% |
| Count | 392 | 466 | 18.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.16 | 19.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lonzo bearers went from 392 to 466 (+18.9% change). The surname moved up 3,972 positions in the national ranking, going from #52,851 to #48,879.
FAQ
Lonzo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lonzo?
Name Census estimates that about 534 living Americans carry the surname Lonzo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 641,862 residents.
How common is Lonzo?
Lonzo ranks #48,879 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 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 466 people with the surname Lonzo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (534), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 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 Lonzo.
Has Lonzo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lonzo went from 392 recorded bearers to 466. That is an increase of 74 (+18.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #52,851 to #48,879.
What does the Census say about the background of Lonzo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lonzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.1%. The next largest groups are Black (35.4%) and Hispanic (11.8%). 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 Lonzo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.1% (238 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lonzo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.1%), Black (35.4%), Hispanic (11.8%). 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 Lonzo (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 Lonzo mean?
A Sicilian surname deriving from the medieval Italian personal name Lonzo, a pet form of Lorenzo. 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 Lonzo (0.16 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 people share the surname Lonzo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.