2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Zozzaro
A surname originating from Italian with possible meanings of dirty or slovenly.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Zozzaro. 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 Zozzaro 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 Zozzaro 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 Zozzaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zozzaro
The surname Zozzaro originates from Italy, a country rich in history and culture. The name is particularly associated with the regions of Southern Italy, namely Campania, Apulia, and Calabria. It likely emerged during the medieval period, which saw a proliferation of distinct surnames as populations grew and communities became more permanently settled.
Etymologically, Zozzaro may derive from a dialectal variant or a local Italian term. In some South Italian dialects, "zozzo" can denote someone untidy or dirty, which might have been used humorously or descriptively to differentiate families or individuals. This linguistic development is common in many Italian surnames, which often reflected physical characteristics, professions, or personal traits.
Historical references to the name Zozzaro are sparse but significant. Documents from the 16th and 17th centuries in Southern Italy show early instances of the surname in local records. Notable examples include church registers and tax logs, which were meticulous in recording family names for purposes of tithe and governance.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname is Antonio Zozzaro, born in 1612 in Naples. Another historical figure is Maria Zozzaro, noted in a 1701 baptismal record in Bari, indicating the spread of the surname across different regions within Southern Italy.
The surname also appears in local governance documents. Vincenzo Zozzaro served as a council member in a small town near Salerno in the late 18th century, his tenure documented in municipal archives from 1794. Another early notable person was Giovanni Zozzaro, a landowner in Calabria, who was referenced in land deeds from 1823, highlighting the family's involvement in agrarian society.
By the mid-19th century, the surname had entrenched itself sufficiently within its regions of origin. Historical records from this period mention Rosa Zozzaro, born in 1847 in Apulia, who was known for her involvement in local charitable activities, demonstrating the community influence of individuals bearing this surname.
The name Zozzaro has persisted through centuries, marking its place in the historical and cultural landscape of Southern Italy. Today, it remains a testament to the rich tapestry of local Italian surnames, each telling a unique story of heritage and identity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zozzaro
Among Census respondents with the surname Zozzaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Zozzaro 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 Zozzaro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zozzaro
Zozzaro 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-17 bearers (-14.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 27,066 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+7 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,227 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -17 bearers (-14.3%) | Down 27,066 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.9%) | Up 8,227 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 Zozzaro 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 | #158,432 | #150,205 | 5.2% |
| Count | 102 | 109 | 6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 21.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zozzaro bearers went from 102 to 109 (+6.9% change). The surname moved up 8,227 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #150,205.
FAQ
Zozzaro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zozzaro?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Zozzaro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Zozzaro?
Zozzaro 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 Zozzaro. 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 Zozzaro.
Has Zozzaro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zozzaro went from 102 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 7 (+6.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Zozzaro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zozzaro, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Zozzaro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zozzaro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (5.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Zozzaro (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 Zozzaro mean?
A surname originating from Italian with possible meanings of dirty or slovenly. 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 Zozzaro (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 many people have the last name Zozzaro?
Find out how many people are called Zozzaro on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.