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

Sapienza, 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 Sapienza surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sapienza in America

Sapienza is the 14409th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sapienza surname appeared 2,074 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 Sapienza.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sapienza 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 Sapienza

The surname Sapienza has its origins in Italy, specifically in the regions of Sicily and Calabria. It is derived from the Italian word "sapienza," which means "wisdom" or "knowledge." The name is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Sapienza can be traced back to various historical documents and records from southern Italy. For example, there are mentions of individuals with the surname in the Sicilian Registro della Gancia, a register of land transactions dating back to the 14th century. Additionally, the name appears in the "Cedolario" of Naples, a collection of documents from the 15th century.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Sapienza was Giovanni Sapienza, a scholar and historian who lived in the 15th century in Palermo, Sicily. He is credited with writing several chronicles documenting the history of Sicily during that time period.

Another notable figure was Pietro Sapienza, a philosopher and theologian who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He was born in Palermo and taught at the University of Padua, becoming known for his writings on Aristotelian philosophy and Christian theology.

In the 17th century, there was Vincenzo Sapienza, a Sicilian painter and artist who was renowned for his religious works and portraits. He was active in Palermo and other cities in Sicily during the early to mid-1600s.

Moving forward to the 18th century, there was Giuseppe Sapienza, a composer and musician from Naples. He was born in 1706 and is remembered for his contributions to the Neapolitan school of opera and his compositions for the church.

In the 19th century, one notable figure was Salvatore Sapienza, a Sicilian politician and activist who played a role in the Risorgimento movement for Italian unification. He was born in Palermo in 1821 and actively advocated for the separation of Sicily from the Kingdom of Naples.

Throughout its history, the surname Sapienza has been associated with various places and regions in southern Italy, particularly in Sicily and Calabria. It has also appeared in various forms and spellings, such as Sapientia, Sapienza, and Sapienza-Montefusco, reflecting regional variations and linguistic evolution over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sapienza

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

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

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

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