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

Panza, 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 Panza surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Panza in America

Panza is the 20480th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Panza surname appeared 1,296 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 Panza.

We can also compare 2010 data for Panza 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.

The history of the last name Panza

The surname Panza has its origins in the Italian language and is derived from the word "pancia," meaning "belly" or "paunch." This name was likely given as a descriptive nickname to someone who had a protruding belly or a large girth.

The earliest known record of the surname Panza dates back to the 14th century in the region of Tuscany, Italy. It is believed that the name may have originated in the city of Florence or the surrounding areas, as many of the earliest records of the name are found in this region.

One of the earliest documented references to the surname Panza can be found in the Florentine tax records of 1427, where a certain Giovanni di Panza is listed as a resident of the city. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the area by the early 15th century.

In the 16th century, the name gained literary significance when Miguel de Cervantes, the famous Spanish author, introduced the character of Sancho Panza in his classic novel "Don Quixote." Sancho Panza, the loyal and down-to-earth companion of Don Quixote, became one of the most iconic characters in Spanish literature, and his name has since become synonymous with the surname Panza.

Another notable individual with the surname Panza was Gian Vincenzo Panza, an Italian painter and architect who lived from 1542 to 1628. He was renowned for his works in various churches and palaces throughout Italy, particularly in the city of Naples.

In the 19th century, the surname Panza was associated with the Italian explorer and naturalist, Luca Panza, who was born in 1789 and died in 1860. He is known for his extensive travels and research in South America, where he studied the flora and fauna of the region.

Moving into the 20th century, Guglielmo Panza, an Italian art collector and philanthropist, made significant contributions to the art world. Born in 1914 and died in 1998, he amassed an impressive collection of modern and contemporary art, which he later donated to various museums around the world.

The surname Panza has also been associated with several place names, particularly in Italy. For example, there is a town called Panza d'Ischia in the province of Naples, which may have derived its name from the surname or vice versa.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Panza

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

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 Panza was:

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 Panza has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Panza was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

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!