2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Pansa
A surname derived from the Italian word "pancia", meaning belly or potbelly.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Pansa. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pansa 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Pansa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pansa, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pansa
The surname PANSA is of Italian origin, with its roots traced back to the ancient Roman era. It is believed to have originated as a nickname or cognomen derived from the Latin word "pansa," which translates to "having a flat or splay foot." This physical characteristic was likely attributed to an early bearer of the name, leading to its adoption as a hereditary surname.
The earliest recorded instances of the PANSA surname can be found in medieval Italian records, particularly in regions such as Lazio, Umbria, and Tuscany. One notable reference comes from the Codice Diplomatico Longobardo, a collection of Lombard historical documents dating back to the 8th century, where the name PANSA appears in various forms, including "Panso" and "Pansone."
In the 12th century, the PANSA surname gained prominence with the rise of the illustrious Pansa family in the city of Perugia, Umbria. This influential family played a significant role in the political and cultural landscape of the region, with several members holding important positions within the city's government and ecclesiastical institutions.
One of the earliest documented examples of the PANSA surname is Guido Pansa, a notable jurist and statesman who lived in Perugia during the late 12th and early 13th centuries. His contributions to the legal codes of the time were widely recognized, and he was appointed as a judge and ambassador for the city.
Another prominent figure bearing the PANSA surname was Bartolomeo Pansa, a renowned painter and sculptor from Perugia who flourished in the 15th century. His works, primarily frescoes and altarpieces, can be found in various churches and museums throughout Umbria and Tuscany, showcasing his mastery of the Renaissance style.
In the 16th century, the PANSA name gained further recognition with the rise of Pietro Pansa, a respected humanist scholar and poet from Gubbio, a town in the province of Perugia. His collection of sonnets and literary works were widely circulated and celebrated during his lifetime (c. 1515-1590).
The PANSA surname also found its way into the annals of ecclesiastical history with the appointment of Giulio Pansa as a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church in 1629. Born in Perugia in the late 16th century, Giulio Pansa served as a diplomat and advisor to several Popes, playing a crucial role in the Church's governance and diplomacy during the turbulent years of the Thirty Years' War.
While the PANSA surname has its roots in central Italy, it eventually spread to other regions of the country and beyond, with various branches of the family establishing themselves in different parts of the world over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pansa
Among Census respondents with the surname Pansa, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Pansa 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 Pansa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pansa
Pansa 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-10 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,843 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-9 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,289 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 16,843 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 9,289 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 Pansa 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 | #140,157 | #149,446 | -6.6% |
| Count | 119 | 110 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pansa bearers went from 119 to 110 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 9,289 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #149,446.
FAQ
Pansa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pansa?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Pansa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Pansa?
Pansa ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 110 people with the surname Pansa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Pansa.
Has Pansa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pansa went from 119 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Pansa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pansa, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Pansa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pansa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Pansa (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 Pansa mean?
A surname derived from the Italian word "pancia", meaning belly or potbelly. 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 Pansa (0.04 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 Pansa?
Find out how common the surname Pansa is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.