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

Polizzi, 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 Polizzi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Polizzi in America

Polizzi is the 12662nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Polizzi surname appeared 2,441 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Polizzi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Polizzi 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 Polizzi

The surname Polizzi originated in Sicily, Italy, and can be traced back to the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the Italian word "Policium," which was the Latin name for the town of Polizzi Generosa, a hilltop town located in the Province of Palermo. The name likely originated as a way to identify people who came from or lived in that particular town.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Polizzi can be found in the Sicilian Riveli, which were tax records from the 15th century. In these records, several families with the surname Polizzi were listed as residents of Polizzi Generosa and the surrounding areas.

During the Renaissance period, the name Polizzi began to spread beyond the confines of Sicily. In the 16th century, a notable figure named Vincenzo Polizzi (1515-1589) was a prominent lawyer and jurist who served as a judge in the city of Naples.

In the 17th century, the surname Polizzi appeared in various historical documents from the Kingdom of Sicily, including birth and marriage records. One notable individual from this period was Giuseppe Polizzi (1630-1702), who was a respected scholar and author of several religious texts.

As Sicilians emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname Polizzi became more widespread. One famous bearer of the name was the Sicilian artist Renato Polizzi (1857-1924), who was known for his evocative paintings of Sicilian landscapes and rural life.

Another notable figure was the Italian-American actor and singer Tony Polizzi (1923-2008), who appeared in several films and television shows throughout his career, including "The Untouchables" and "The Godfather: Part II."

Other individuals with the surname Polizzi who left their mark on history include the Italian architect Gaetano Polizzi (1876-1957), who designed numerous buildings in Palermo and other cities in Sicily, and the Italian-American author and poet Joseph Polizzi (1936-2022), whose works explored themes of identity, immigration, and cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Polizzi

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

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

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

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