2000
#10,382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,845
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Rizzi
An Italian surname referring to someone with curly hair or derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,038 Americans carry the last name Rizzi. That puts it at #11,380 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 112,822 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rizzi 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Rizzi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 112,822
Census rank
#11,380
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,649 bearers of the surname Rizzi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11380th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rizzi, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rizzi
The surname RIZZI originated in Italy, specifically in the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto. It is believed to have emerged during the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "rizo," which means "curly" or "frizzy," likely referring to someone with curly hair.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name RIZZI can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico Padovano," a collection of diplomatic documents from the city of Padua, dating back to the 13th century. The name is mentioned in a document from 1278, referring to a certain "Rizardus Rizzi."
In the 14th century, the name RIZZI appeared in the "Estimo della città di Venezia," a tax record from the city of Venice. This document lists various individuals with the surname, suggesting that the name had already established itself in the region by that time.
During the Renaissance period, the name RIZZI became associated with several notable figures. One such individual was Pietro Rizzi (1457-1536), a renowned architect and engineer who worked on various projects in Venice, including the construction of the Rialto Bridge.
Another prominent figure with the surname RIZZI was Girolamo Rizzi (1520-1589), a Venetian philosopher and humanist. He was known for his translations of ancient Greek texts and his contributions to the field of philosophy during the Renaissance.
In the 17th century, the name RIZZI gained further recognition with the birth of Francesco Rizzi (1613-1686), an Italian painter from the Baroque period. His works can be found in various churches and galleries throughout Italy, particularly in Venice and Rome.
Moving forward to the 18th century, we find the name RIZZI associated with Cesare Rizzi (1736-1810), an Italian architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Venice, including the Palazzo Grassi and the Church of San Giobbe.
In the 19th century, the surname RIZZI was carried by Antonio Rizzi (1818-1892), an Italian politician and lawyer who served as a deputy in the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy during the late 19th century.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname RIZZI who have left their mark on history, demonstrating the rich heritage and widespread presence of this Italian name across various fields and eras.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rizzi
Among Census respondents with the surname Rizzi, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Rizzi 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 Rizzi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 2,393
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 184
- Two or more races1.5% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rizzi
Rizzi appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#11,279
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,801
-44 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 897 places
2020
#11,380
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,649
-152 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 101 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,382 | 2,845 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,279 | 2,801 | 0.95 | -44 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 897 places |
| 2020 | #11,380 | 2,649 | 0.89 | -152 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 101 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 Rizzi 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 | #11,279 | #11,380 | -0.9% |
| Count | 2,801 | 2,649 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.89 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rizzi bearers went from 2,801 to 2,649 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 101 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,279 to #11,380.
FAQ
Rizzi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rizzi?
Name Census estimates that about 3,038 living Americans carry the surname Rizzi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 112,822 residents.
How common is Rizzi?
Rizzi ranks #11,380 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,649 people with the surname Rizzi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,038), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rizzi.
Has Rizzi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rizzi went from 2,801 recorded bearers to 2,649. That is a decrease of 152 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,279 to #11,380.
What does the Census say about the background of Rizzi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rizzi, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Rizzi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (2,393 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rizzi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (6.9%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Rizzi (2000, 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 Rizzi mean?
An Italian surname referring to someone with curly hair or derived from a place name. 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 Rizzi (0.89 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 Rizzi?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.