2000
#4,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,078
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.99
Rare Last name
Mazza
An Italian occupational surname referring to a mace bearer or a person who makes or sells maces.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,738 Americans carry the last name Mazza. That puts it at #4,526 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,226 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mazza 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 Mazza with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.7K
1 in 39,226
Census rank
#4,526
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,620 bearers of the surname Mazza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4526th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mazza, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mazza
The surname Mazza is of Italian origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Italian word 'mazza', which means a club or mace, and was likely originally a nickname for someone who carried a mace or was skilled with this weapon.
The earliest known record of the surname Mazza dates back to the 13th century in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One notable historical reference is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Amiatinus, an ancient manuscript from the Abbey of Monte Amiata, which mentions a certain "Petrus Mazza" in 1256.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various records from the city of Florence, including the Libro di Montaperti, an account of the Battle of Montaperti in 1260, where a "Gherardo Mazza" is listed among the combatants.
The name Mazza is also associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest is Bernardino Mazza (1512-1568), an Italian architect and sculptor who worked on various churches and buildings in Rome during the Renaissance.
In the 17th century, Gian Tommaso Mazza (1618-1681) was a renowned Italian painter and engraver from the Baroque period, known for his religious works and portraiture.
The 19th century saw the birth of Antonio Mazza (1836-1928), an Italian philosopher and educator who made significant contributions to the field of pedagogy and advocated for progressive education methods.
Another notable figure is Roberto Mazza (1897-1956), an Italian-American architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the Italian Pavilion at the 1939 World's Fair.
In more recent times, Gian Carlo Mazza (1936-2011) was an Italian businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Mazza Group, a multinational company specializing in wine production and distribution.
Throughout history, the surname Mazza has also been associated with various locations, such as the town of Mazzarino in Sicily, which may have derived its name from an earlier form of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mazza
Among Census respondents with the surname Mazza, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mazza 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 Mazza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 6,913
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 437
- Two or more races2.0% · 153
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 71
- Black or African American0.5% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mazza
Mazza 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
#4,417
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,043
-35 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 2.73
Rank movement Down 377 places
2020
#4,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,620
-423 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 2.55
Rank movement Down 109 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,040 | 8,078 | 2.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,417 | 8,043 | 2.73 | -35 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 377 places |
| 2020 | #4,526 | 7,620 | 2.55 | -423 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 109 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 Mazza 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 | #4,417 | #4,526 | -2.5% |
| Count | 8,043 | 7,620 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.73 | 2.55 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mazza bearers went from 8,043 to 7,620 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 109 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,417 to #4,526.
FAQ
Mazza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mazza?
Name Census estimates that about 8,738 living Americans carry the surname Mazza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,226 residents.
How common is Mazza?
Mazza ranks #4,526 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,620 people with the surname Mazza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,738), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Mazza.
Has Mazza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mazza went from 8,043 recorded bearers to 7,620. That is a decrease of 423 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,417 to #4,526.
What does the Census say about the background of Mazza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mazza, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) 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 Mazza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (6,913 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mazza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (5.7%), 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 Mazza (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 Mazza mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a mace bearer or a person who makes or sells maces. 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 Mazza (2.55 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 have the last name Mazza?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Mazza on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.