2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sanzaro
A Spanish surname derived from the village name Sanzaro in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Sanzaro. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sanzaro 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Sanzaro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sanzaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sanzaro
The surname Sanzaro has its origins in Italy, likely emerging in the medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "sanzaro," which means "without care" or "carefree." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a relaxed or carefree demeanor.
The earliest recorded instances of the Sanzaro surname can be traced back to the regions of Piedmont and Liguria in northwestern Italy. These areas were known for their vibrant maritime trade and cultural exchanges, which may have facilitated the spread of the name to other parts of the country and beyond.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Sanzaro name was Gian Sanzaro, a merchant from Genoa who lived in the late 14th century. Records show that he was involved in trading ventures with the Republic of Venice, indicating the family's prominence in the region's commercial activities.
In the 16th century, the name appears in historical documents from the city of Naples, where a notable figure named Ferdinando Sanzaro was a renowned lawyer and legal scholar. He was born in 1512 and is known for his influential works on civil and canon law.
Another notable individual with the Sanzaro surname was Girolamo Sanzaro, a painter and architect from Palermo, Sicily, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was responsible for designing several churches and palaces in the city, including the Church of Santa Maria della Pietà and the Palazzo Sanzaro, which still bears his family name.
During the 17th century, the Sanzaro name gained prominence in the region of Calabria, where the family owned significant landholdings and estates. One notable member was Antonio Sanzaro, born in 1632, who served as a magistrate and played a crucial role in the administration of the city of Reggio Calabria.
In the 18th century, the Sanzaro family had a presence in the Kingdom of Naples, with several members holding positions within the Catholic Church. One such figure was Cardinal Vincenzo Sanzaro, born in 1724, who was a prominent theologian and advisor to the papal court in Rome.
Throughout its history, the Sanzaro surname has been associated with various professions, including merchants, lawyers, artists, and members of the clergy. While the name has undergone slight variations in spelling over time, such as Sanzari or Sanzarro, its core meaning and origins have remained intact, reflecting the family's rich heritage and cultural roots in Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sanzaro
Among Census respondents with the surname Sanzaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sanzaro 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 Sanzaro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.0% · 98
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sanzaro
Sanzaro 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
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-13 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,481 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -13 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 9,481 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 Sanzaro 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 | #146,201 | #155,682 | -6.5% |
| Count | 113 | 100 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sanzaro bearers went from 113 to 100 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 9,481 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #155,682.
FAQ
Sanzaro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sanzaro?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Sanzaro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Sanzaro?
Sanzaro ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Sanzaro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Sanzaro.
Has Sanzaro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sanzaro went from 113 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 13 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Sanzaro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sanzaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Sanzaro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.0% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sanzaro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Sanzaro (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 Sanzaro mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the village name Sanzaro in Spain. 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 Sanzaro (0.03 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 have the surname Sanzaro?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.