2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Pizzala
An Italian surname likely derived from the village name Pizzale near Turin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Pizzala. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pizzala 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Pizzala in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pizzala, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pizzala
The surname Pizzala is of Italian origin, with its roots traced back to the regions of Lombardy and Veneto during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "pizza," which referred to a type of bread or flatbread, suggesting that the name may have been associated with bakers or individuals involved in the production of bread.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pizzala can be found in the historic city of Milan, where a family by that name is mentioned in records dating back to the 13th century. During this time, the name was often spelled as "Pizzala" or "Pizala," reflecting the variations in spelling common in those times.
In the 14th century, the Pizzala name appeared in a manuscript detailing the noble families of Venice, indicating that the surname had spread to other regions of northern Italy. This document referred to a prominent Venetian merchant named Giovanni Pizzala, who was involved in the lucrative spice trade with the East.
As the centuries progressed, the Pizzala name continued to appear in various historical records across Italy. In the 16th century, a notable figure named Domenico Pizzala (1490-1563) was a renowned Renaissance architect from Verona, renowned for his work on several churches and palaces in the city.
Another prominent individual bearing the Pizzala surname was Giacomo Pizzala (1625-1697), a Baroque painter from Milan who gained recognition for his religious works and frescoes adorning churches throughout the Lombardy region.
During the 18th century, the name Pizzala was associated with a family of landowners and nobles in the town of Pizzale, located in the province of Pavia. This connection to a specific place name further reinforces the potential origin of the surname from a location related to bread or baking.
Other notable figures with the Pizzala surname include Filippo Pizzala (1810-1879), an Italian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Sardinian Parliament, and Maria Pizzala (1865-1928), a celebrated opera singer from Verona who performed in many of the great theaters of Europe during the late 19th century.
While the surname Pizzala has roots in various regions of Italy, its prevalence and historical significance seem to be concentrated primarily in the northern regions, particularly Lombardy and Veneto, where it has been documented for several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pizzala
Among Census respondents with the surname Pizzala, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pizzala 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 Pizzala surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino10.3% · 11
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pizzala
Pizzala appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+4 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,595 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.9%) | Up 5,595 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 Pizzala 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 | #157,234 | #151,639 | 3.6% |
| Count | 103 | 107 | 3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pizzala bearers went from 103 to 107 (+3.9% change). The surname moved up 5,595 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #151,639.
FAQ
Pizzala surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pizzala?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Pizzala. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Pizzala?
Pizzala ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Pizzala. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Pizzala.
Has Pizzala become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pizzala went from 103 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 4 (+3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Pizzala?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pizzala, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.3%) 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 Pizzala in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pizzala appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Hispanic (10.3%), 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 Pizzala (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 Pizzala mean?
An Italian surname likely derived from the village name Pizzale near Turin. 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 Pizzala (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 are called Pizzala?
Want to know how many people have the last name Pizzala? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.