2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Abata
A surname of Basque origin meaning "the bottom" or "underneath," likely referring to a low-lying geographical feature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Abata. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Abata 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Abata in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Abata, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.6%) and Black (11.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Abata
The surname ABATA is thought to have originated in Italy, where it first appeared in records from the 14th century. It likely derived from the Italian word "abate," meaning "abbot" or "priest." This suggests the name may have been initially associated with members of the clergy or those with connections to religious institutions.
Early references to the name can be found in various historical documents from regions such as Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. For instance, records from the city of Pisa mention an individual named Guido Abata in 1387. Similarly, a manuscript from Bologna dated 1412 includes the name Giovanni Abata.
The ABATA surname has also been linked to certain place names, possibly indicating the geographic origins of some families bearing this last name. One example is the town of Abbiategrasso, located near Milan, which may have contributed to variations like "Abbiati" or "Abbiategrassi."
Among notable individuals with the ABATA surname, one can cite Pietro Abata, a renowned Italian painter born in 1592 in the city of Modena. His works, primarily religious in nature, adorned several churches and monasteries across northern Italy during the 17th century.
Another figure of historical significance was Giuseppe Abata, a military officer and patriot who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and the Italian unification movement of the 19th century. Born in 1792 in Naples, he played a crucial role in the struggle for Italian independence.
In the realm of literature, the Italian poet and playwright Vincenzo Abata (1635-1697) made significant contributions to the development of Baroque theater in his native Sicily. His works, such as the tragicomedy "La Fortunata Isabella," were widely acclaimed during his lifetime.
The ABATA surname can also be traced back to the 16th century through the records of Francesco Abata, a prominent architect from the city of Genoa. He is credited with designing several notable buildings, including the Church of San Pietro in Banchi, which remains a landmark of Genoese Renaissance architecture.
Finally, it is worth mentioning Niccolò Abata, a 15th-century jurist and legal scholar from Bologna. His treatises on canon law and civil jurisprudence were widely studied and cited by legal professionals across Renaissance Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Abata
Among Census respondents with the surname Abata, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.6%) and Black (11.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Abata 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 Abata surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.1% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander13.6% · 16
- Black or African American11.0% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 8
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Abata
Abata 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,356 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,207 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 10,356 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 5,207 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 Abata 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 | #138,304 | #143,511 | -3.8% |
| Count | 121 | 118 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Abata bearers went from 121 to 118 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 5,207 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #143,511.
FAQ
Abata surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Abata?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Abata. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Abata?
Abata ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Abata. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Abata.
Has Abata become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Abata went from 121 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Abata?
Among Census respondents with the surname Abata, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.6%) and Black (11.0%). 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 Abata in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.1% (78 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Abata appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (13.6%), Black (11.0%). 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 Abata (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 Abata mean?
A surname of Basque origin meaning "the bottom" or "underneath," likely referring to a low-lying geographical feature. 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 Abata (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 Abata?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Abata, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.