2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pizzica
An Italian surname derived from the word "pizzico" meaning small piece or pinch.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Pizzica. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pizzica 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Pizzica in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pizzica, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pizzica
The surname "Pizzica" originates from Italy and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated from the town of Pizzica, located in the province of Lecce in the Apulia region of southern Italy. The name is derived from the Latin word "picea," which means "pine tree," suggesting that the town may have been known for its pine forests or that the name referred to a specific pine tree or grove.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "Pizzica" can be found in the Catasto Onciario, a historical tax record from the Kingdom of Naples, dating back to the mid-15th century. This record lists several individuals with the surname "Pizzica" residing in the town of Pizzica and its surrounding areas.
In the 16th century, the name "Pizzica" appeared in various legal documents and local records from the Apulia region, indicating that the surname was well-established in the area during this time period. One notable example is Giovanni Pizzica, a landowner and merchant who lived in the town of Pizzica in the late 1500s.
The surname "Pizzica" is also found in several historical manuscripts and records from the 17th and 18th centuries. For instance, the "Codice Diplomatico Barese," a collection of documents related to the city of Bari, mentions a family with the surname "Pizzica" who owned land in the nearby town of Monopoli in the late 1600s.
In the 19th century, the surname "Pizzica" gained recognition outside of the Apulia region. One prominent figure was Antonio Pizzica (1826-1892), an Italian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies, representing the district of Gallipoli.
Another notable individual with the surname "Pizzica" was Giuseppe Pizzica (1863-1937), an Italian painter and sculptor known for his works depicting scenes from the Apulia region. His paintings and sculptures are displayed in several museums and galleries throughout Italy.
Throughout history, the surname "Pizzica" has also been associated with various place names and locations in the Apulia region, such as Pizzica di Corigliano, Pizzica di Manduria, and Pizzica di Mottola, all of which are small towns or villages that likely derived their names from the original town of Pizzica.
While the surname "Pizzica" is primarily concentrated in the Apulia region of southern Italy, it has also been found in other parts of Italy and in some Italian communities abroad, particularly in areas where people from the Apulia region have migrated or settled.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pizzica
Among Census respondents with the surname Pizzica, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pizzica 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 Pizzica surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pizzica
Pizzica 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
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,787 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 1,787 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 Pizzica 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 | #150,452 | #148,665 | 1.2% |
| Count | 109 | 111 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pizzica bearers went from 109 to 111 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 1,787 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #148,665.
FAQ
Pizzica surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pizzica?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Pizzica. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Pizzica?
Pizzica ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Pizzica. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Pizzica.
Has Pizzica become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pizzica went from 109 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 2 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Pizzica?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pizzica, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Pizzica in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pizzica appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Pizzica (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 Pizzica mean?
An Italian surname derived from the word "pizzico" meaning small piece or pinch. 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 Pizzica (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 share the surname Pizzica?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.