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

Amenta, 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 Amenta surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Amenta in America

Amenta is the 32994th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Amenta surname appeared 694 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 Amenta.

We can also compare 2010 data for Amenta 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 Amenta

The surname AMENTA originates from Italy, specifically the southern regions of Calabria and Sicily. It is believed to have derived from the Greek word 'amenta', meaning 'unfertile' or 'barren'. This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive term for someone who lived in an infertile or arid area.

Records indicate that the AMENTA name can be traced back to the 12th century in the town of Reggio Calabria, located in the region of Calabria. One of the earliest known mentions of the name appears in a document from 1187, which refers to a landowner named Giovanni AMENTA.

In the 14th century, the AMENTA family gained prominence in the city of Palermo, Sicily, where they were involved in the local government and trade. A notable member from this period was Tommaso AMENTA, a merchant who lived from 1325 to 1392.

The name AMENTA also appears in several historical manuscripts from the 15th and 16th centuries, including the Codex Diplomaticus Siciliae, which contains records of land transactions and legal disputes involving individuals with this surname.

One of the most prominent figures in the AMENTA family history was Matteo AMENTA, a Sicilian painter and architect who lived from 1530 to 1607. He was known for his work on numerous churches and palaces in Palermo and other cities in Sicily.

Another notable AMENTA was Girolamo AMENTA, a philosopher and theologian who was born in Reggio Calabria in 1572 and died in 1635. He authored several works on metaphysics and religion, and was a professor at the University of Naples.

In the 19th century, Giuseppe AMENTA (1806-1867) was a prominent Italian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Sicilian Parliament and was instrumental in the region's unification with the Kingdom of Italy.

While the AMENTA surname is still most common in southern Italy, particularly in Calabria and Sicily, it has also spread to other parts of the world through emigration. Some notable individuals with this surname include Gerardo AMENTA, an Argentine philosopher and author born in 1904, and Vincenzo AMENTA, an Italian-American mobster who was active in the early 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Amenta

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

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

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

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