Muza last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Muza is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Muza.

Meaning of Muza

A surname potentially derived from the Slavic word "muza," meaning muse or inspiring force.

Muza, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Muza surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Muza in America

Muza is the 68547th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Muza surname appeared 287 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Muza.

We can also compare 2010 data for Muza to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 68547 76946 -11.55%
Count 287 232 21.19%
Proportion per 100k 0.10 0.09 10.53%

The history of the last name Muza

The surname Muza originates from Poland and has its roots dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Polish word "muza," meaning "muse" or "inspiration." This could suggest that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who were creative or artistic in nature.

One of the earliest documented references to the name Muza can be found in the historical records of the city of Krakow, where a certain Jan Muza was mentioned as a respected citizen in the year 1587. However, it's important to note that variations of the spelling, such as "Musza" or "Muzza," were also common during that time period.

In the 17th century, the name Muza appeared in several parish records and land ownership documents across various regions of Poland, indicating its widespread use among both urban and rural populations.

One notable figure bearing the surname Muza was Kazimierz Muza (1648-1711), a Polish nobleman and military commander who played a significant role in the defense of the city of Lviv during the Great Northern War against Sweden.

Another prominent individual was Jadwiga Muza (1798-1872), a Polish writer and poet who gained recognition for her contributions to the Polish Romantic literature movement. Her works often explored themes of patriotism and national identity.

The surname Muza also has a connection to the historic region of Silesia, which was once part of Poland but is now divided between Poland and the Czech Republic. In the 19th century, a family named Muza owned a large estate in the town of Nysa, located in what is now southwestern Poland.

Towards the end of the 19th century, the name Muza began to spread beyond the borders of Poland, with immigrants bearing the surname settling in various parts of Europe and North America.

One notable figure from this period was Franciszek Muza (1872-1937), a Polish-American architect who designed several notable buildings in Chicago, including the St. Hyacinth Basilica and the Polish Museum of America.

Throughout its history, the surname Muza has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including artists, writers, military figures, and landowners, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who have carried this name over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Muza

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Muza.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Muza was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 77.70% 223
Non-Hispanic Black Only 6.97% 20
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 13.24% 38

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Muza has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 77.70% 81.03% -4.20%
Black 6.97% 4.74% 38.09%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 13.24% 12.50% 5.75%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Muza was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Muza, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Muza last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on September 4, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/muza-surname-popularity/.

"Muza last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/muza-surname-popularity/. Accessed 4 September, 2025

Muza last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/muza-surname-popularity/.

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