2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Pureza
A Spanish surname meaning "purity" or "pureness".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Pureza. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pureza 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Pureza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pureza, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.7%) and White (11.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pureza
The surname Pureza originated in Spain during the late 15th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "pureza," which means purity or cleanness. This name likely originated as a descriptive surname, given to individuals who were known for their virtuous or pure character.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Pureza can be found in the records of the Spanish Inquisition from the late 15th and early 16th centuries. These records documented individuals with this surname who were subjected to trials and investigations during this tumultuous period in Spanish history.
In the 16th century, the surname Pureza began to appear in various regions of Spain, particularly in the areas of Andalusia, Castile, and Aragon. It is possible that the name originated from a specific place name or location, but definitive records of this are lacking.
One notable individual with the surname Pureza was Juan de la Pureza, a Spanish painter who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was known for his religious paintings and works depicting scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname Pureza continued to be found in various parts of Spain, as well as in Spanish colonies in the Americas. One prominent figure was Fray Francisco de la Pureza, a Spanish missionary who traveled to the Philippines in the late 17th century and played a significant role in the evangelization efforts in that region.
In the 19th century, individuals with the surname Pureza were involved in various fields, including politics and the arts. Mariano Pureza, born in 1820, was a Spanish politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Cortes Generales, the Spanish parliament.
As the centuries passed, the surname Pureza continued to be carried by individuals of Spanish descent, both within Spain and in other parts of the world where Spanish emigrants settled. Notably, Pedro Pureza, born in 1872, was a renowned Cuban writer and journalist who contributed to the literary and cultural scene of his time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pureza
Among Census respondents with the surname Pureza, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.7%) and White (11.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pureza 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 Pureza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander68.8% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino14.7% · 16
- White11.9% · 13
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pureza
Pureza 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
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+6 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,029 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 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.8%) | Up 7,029 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 Pureza 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 | #150,205 | 4.5% |
| Count | 103 | 109 | 5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 21.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pureza bearers went from 103 to 109 (+5.8% change). The surname moved up 7,029 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #150,205.
FAQ
Pureza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pureza?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Pureza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Pureza?
Pureza ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Pureza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Pureza.
Has Pureza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pureza went from 103 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 6 (+5.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Pureza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pureza, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.7%) and White (11.9%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pureza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.8% (75 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pureza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (68.8%), Hispanic (14.7%), White (11.9%). 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 Pureza (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 Pureza mean?
A Spanish surname meaning "purity" or "pureness". 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 Pureza (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 common is the surname Pureza?
See how many people have the last name Pureza on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.