2000
#11,388
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,537
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Musso
Derived from the Italian word "musso," meaning "snout" or "muzzle," likely referring to a distinctive facial feature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,811 Americans carry the last name Musso. That puts it at #12,140 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,933 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Musso 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
2.8K
1 in 121,933
Census rank
#12,140
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,451 bearers of the surname Musso in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12140th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Musso, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Musso
The surname Musso originates from Italy, specifically the region of Piedmont, and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "musso," which means "moss" or "mossy," suggesting a connection to a person who lived in a mossy or damp area.
Musso is also thought to be associated with the Italian town of Musso, located on the shores of Lake Como in the province of Como, Lombardy. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in historical documents from this region.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Musso was Gian Giacomo Musso, a renowned Italian architect and military engineer who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He is credited with designing several fortifications and defensive structures throughout Italy, including the Castello Sforzesco in Milan.
Another notable figure with the surname Musso was Cornelio Musso, an Italian Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal who lived from 1511 to 1574. He served as the Bishop of Bitonto and later became the Archbishop of Palermo, known for his influential writings and sermons.
In the 17th century, Francesco Musso, an Italian painter and engraver, gained recognition for his works depicting religious subjects and landscapes. He was born in Pinerolo, Piedmont, in 1620 and died in Rome in 1688.
The surname Musso also appears in historical records from the 18th century, with Francesco Antonio Musso, an Italian architect and engineer born in Castellamonte, Piedmont, in 1728. He is renowned for his work on various architectural projects, including the Royal Palace in Turin.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe Musso, an Italian sculptor, gained prominence for his sculptures and monuments, many of which can be found in various cities across Italy. He was born in Casale Monferrato, Piedmont, in 1834 and died in Rome in 1911.
While the surname Musso has its roots in Italy, particularly in the regions of Piedmont and Lombardy, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Musso
Among Census respondents with the surname Musso, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Musso 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 Musso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 2,165
- Hispanic or Latino7.4% · 182
- Two or more races3.1% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Musso
Musso 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
#11,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,794
+257 bearers (+10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 86 places
2020
#12,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,451
-343 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 838 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,388 | 2,537 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,302 | 2,794 | 0.95 | +257 bearers (+10.1%) | Up 86 places |
| 2020 | #12,140 | 2,451 | 0.82 | -343 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 838 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 Musso 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 | #11,302 | #12,140 | -7.4% |
| Count | 2,794 | 2,451 | -12.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.82 | -13.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Musso bearers went from 2,794 to 2,451 (-12.3% change). The surname moved down 838 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,302 to #12,140.
FAQ
Musso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Musso?
Name Census estimates that about 2,811 living Americans carry the surname Musso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,933 residents.
How common is Musso?
Musso ranks #12,140 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,451 people with the surname Musso. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,811), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Musso.
Has Musso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Musso went from 2,794 recorded bearers to 2,451. That is a decrease of 343 (-12.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,302 to #12,140.
What does the Census say about the background of Musso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Musso, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Musso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (2,165 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Musso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Hispanic (7.4%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Musso (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 Musso mean?
Derived from the Italian word "musso," meaning "snout" or "muzzle," likely referring to a distinctive facial feature. 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 Musso (0.82 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 are called Musso?
See how many Americans have the surname Musso on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.