2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Spezza
Derived from Italian "spezzare" meaning to break or divide.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Spezza. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Spezza 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Spezza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Spezza, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Spezza
The surname SPEZZA is believed to have originated in Italy, specifically in the regions of Lombardy and Veneto, during the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Italian word "spezza," which means "to break" or "to split." It may have initially referred to someone who worked as a wood splitter or someone who broke rocks for construction purposes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SPEZZA can be found in a document from the Venetian archives, dated 1349. The document mentions a "Nicolo Spezza," who was a merchant in the city of Venice. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the Veneto region by the mid-14th century.
In the 15th century, the name SPEZZA appeared in several historical records from the city of Milan, which was part of the Duchy of Milan at the time. One notable example is a registry from 1472 that lists a "Giovanni Spezza" as a member of the city's guild of stonemasons.
During the Renaissance period, the SPEZZA name gained prominence in the arts. A famous painter from the Venetian school, known as Girolamo Spezza (c. 1520-1592), was renowned for his religious works and portraits. His paintings can be found in various churches and museums throughout Italy.
In the 17th century, a branch of the SPEZZA family settled in the town of Bergamo, located in the Lombardy region. One notable member of this branch was Carlo Spezza (1619-1681), a celebrated architect who designed several churches and palaces in Bergamo and the surrounding areas.
Another prominent figure with the SPEZZA surname was Antonio Spezza (1756-1832), a Italian composer and violinist who lived during the Classical period. He was born in Verona and gained recognition for his operas and chamber music compositions.
While the surname SPEZZA originated in northern Italy, it eventually spread to other parts of the country and beyond. However, its historical roots and earliest recorded instances can be traced back to the regions of Lombardy and Veneto, where it emerged as a surname during the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Spezza
Among Census respondents with the surname Spezza, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Spezza 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 Spezza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 6
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Spezza
Spezza 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
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 32 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 Spezza 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 | #147,253 | #147,221 | 0.0% |
| Count | 112 | 113 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Spezza bearers went from 112 to 113 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #147,221.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Spezza
FAQ
Spezza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Spezza?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Spezza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Spezza?
Spezza ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Spezza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Spezza.
Has Spezza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Spezza went from 112 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Spezza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Spezza, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Spezza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Spezza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (5.3%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Spezza (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 Spezza mean?
Derived from Italian "spezzare" meaning to break or divide. 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 Spezza (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 common is the surname Spezza?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Spezza? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.