2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Autera
A surname derived from the Latin "autera," meaning a female craftsperson or artisan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Autera. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Autera 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Autera in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Autera, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Autera
The surname Autera has its origins in Italy, where it first emerged in the region of Sicily during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Latin word "autera," which means "golden." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon an individual with golden hair or a tanned complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Autera can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico dei Re Aragonesi," a collection of official documents from the Aragonese kings who ruled over Sicily in the 13th and 14th centuries. This historical record mentions an individual named Girolamo Autera, who lived in the city of Palermo during the late 1300s.
Over the centuries, the Autera name has been associated with several notable figures. In the 16th century, Vincenzo Autera (1510-1588) was a renowned painter and sculptor from the city of Messina, whose works can still be admired in various churches and museums across Sicily.
Another prominent figure was Francesco Autera (1753-1824), a Sicilian theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Palermo. His writings on metaphysics and ethics were widely influential during the Enlightenment period.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe Autera (1822-1892) was a celebrated composer and musician from the town of Termini Imerese. His compositions for piano and orchestra were performed throughout Italy and beyond, earning him widespread recognition during his lifetime.
The Autera name has also been linked to several historical sites and locations in Sicily. For instance, there is a small village called Autera located in the province of Caltanissetta, which may have derived its name from an early settler or landowner bearing the same surname.
Another notable individual was Gaetano Autera (1875-1942), a politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Italian Parliament during the early 20th century. He was known for his advocacy of workers' rights and social reforms.
While the Autera surname is most commonly found in Sicily, it has also spread to other regions of Italy and abroad due to migration patterns over the past several centuries. However, its roots can be traced back to the rich cultural heritage of medieval Sicily, where it first emerged as a distinctive family name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Autera
Among Census respondents with the surname Autera, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Autera 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 Autera surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 6
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Autera
Autera 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-6 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,953 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,430 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 15,953 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 1,430 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 Autera 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 | #153,769 | #152,339 | 0.9% |
| Count | 106 | 106 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Autera bearers went from 106 to 106 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 1,430 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #152,339.
FAQ
Autera surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Autera?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Autera. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Autera?
Autera ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Autera. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Autera.
Has Autera become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Autera went from 106 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Autera?
Among Census respondents with the surname Autera, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Autera in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Autera appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (5.7%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Autera (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 Autera mean?
A surname derived from the Latin "autera," meaning a female craftsperson or artisan. 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 Autera (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 surname Autera?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.