2000
#13,844
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,003
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Nuzzo
An Italian occupational surname referring to a walnut grower or seller of nuts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,181 Americans carry the last name Nuzzo. That puts it at #14,931 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,155 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nuzzo 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
2.2K
1 in 157,155
Census rank
#14,931
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,902 bearers of the surname Nuzzo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14931st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nuzzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nuzzo
The surname Nuzzo has its origins in Italy, specifically in the southern regions of Campania and Calabria. It is believed to have emerged during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
One theory suggests that Nuzzo is derived from the Italian word "noce," which means "walnut." It may have been initially bestowed upon someone who lived near a walnut tree or grove or worked with walnuts in some capacity. Alternatively, it could have been a nickname given to someone with a nut-brown complexion or hair color.
Another possibility is that Nuzzo stems from the Latin word "nuceus," meaning "nut-colored" or "brown." This could also point to a physical characteristic or occupation related to the processing of nuts.
In some historical records from the 15th and 16th centuries, the surname appears with variations in spelling, such as Nucci, Nuzzi, or Nuccio. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping at the time.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name Nuzzo can be found in the records of the town of Avellino, in the province of Campania, dating back to the late 15th century. Here, a reference is made to a certain Nicola Nuzzo, a local landowner.
Another notable bearer of the name was Giovanni Battista Nuzzo, a prominent Italian painter who lived in Naples during the early 17th century (c. 1590-1650). His works, primarily religious paintings and frescoes, can still be found in various churches across southern Italy.
In the 18th century, a notable figure with the surname Nuzzo was Francesco Nuzzo (1725-1795), a renowned architect and urban planner from the town of Lecce in Puglia. He was responsible for designing several significant buildings and urban projects in his hometown and the surrounding region.
During the 19th century, a prominent Nuzzo was Raffaele Nuzzo (1820-1892), a lawyer and politician from the town of Avellino. He served as a member of the Italian parliament and was known for his advocacy of social and legal reforms.
Another noteworthy individual with the surname Nuzzo was Giuseppe Nuzzo (1885-1965), a celebrated Italian sculptor from the town of Campobasso in Molise. His works, which often depicted religious and mythological themes, can be found in various public spaces and museums across Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nuzzo
Among Census respondents with the surname Nuzzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Nuzzo 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 Nuzzo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 1,708
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 106
- Two or more races2.8% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 23
- Black or African American0.6% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nuzzo
Nuzzo 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
#14,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,021
+18 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 862 places
2020
#14,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,902
-119 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 225 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,844 | 2,003 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,706 | 2,021 | 0.69 | +18 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 862 places |
| 2020 | #14,931 | 1,902 | 0.64 | -119 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 225 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 Nuzzo 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 | #14,706 | #14,931 | -1.5% |
| Count | 2,021 | 1,902 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.64 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nuzzo bearers went from 2,021 to 1,902 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 225 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,706 to #14,931.
FAQ
Nuzzo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nuzzo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,181 living Americans carry the surname Nuzzo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,155 residents.
How common is Nuzzo?
Nuzzo ranks #14,931 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,902 people with the surname Nuzzo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,181), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Nuzzo.
Has Nuzzo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nuzzo went from 2,021 recorded bearers to 1,902. That is a decrease of 119 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,706 to #14,931.
What does the Census say about the background of Nuzzo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nuzzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Nuzzo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (1,708 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nuzzo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Hispanic (5.6%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Nuzzo (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 Nuzzo mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a walnut grower or seller of nuts. 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 Nuzzo (0.64 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 Nuzzo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.