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

Suissa, 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 Suissa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Suissa in America

Suissa is the 100302nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Suissa surname appeared 180 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Suissa.

We can also compare 2010 data for Suissa 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 Suissa

The surname "SUISSA" is of Jewish origin, and it is believed to have originated in the Iberian Peninsula during the medieval period. This name is derived from the Hebrew word "Shavua," which means "week" or "Sabbath."

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 14th century in the regions of Spain and Portugal, where significant Jewish communities existed prior to the Inquisition. It is likely that the name was initially adopted as a surname by Jewish families who lived in these areas.

During the 15th century, the Suissa family, along with many other Jews, was forced to flee the Iberian Peninsula due to the Spanish Inquisition and the ensuing persecution and expulsion of Jews from Spain and Portugal. Some members of the Suissa family sought refuge in North Africa, particularly in Morocco and Algeria, while others migrated to other parts of Europe and the Ottoman Empire.

In the 16th century, there are records of individuals bearing the surname Suissa residing in various parts of the Ottoman Empire, including Istanbul and Salonika (modern-day Thessaloniki, Greece). One notable figure from this period was Rabbi Yosef Suissa, who was born in Salonika in 1545 and served as the Chief Rabbi of the city's Jewish community.

As the Suissa family dispersed across different regions, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, such as Suisa, Souissa, and Suissa. In the 17th century, a prominent Suissa family settled in Amsterdam, where they played a significant role in the city's Jewish community. One notable member was Daniel Levi Suissa, a successful merchant and philanthropist who lived from 1645 to 1715.

In the 19th century, the Suissa name appeared in various parts of Europe and the Middle East. One notable individual was Rabbi Yaakov Suissa, who was born in Morocco in 1805 and later became the Chief Rabbi of the Jewish community in Tripoli, Libya.

Another prominent figure was Joseph Suissa, a French-born writer and journalist who lived from 1848 to 1921. He was known for his works on Jewish history and culture, as well as his advocacy for Jewish rights in France.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Suissa

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

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

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

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