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

Catholic, 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 Catholic surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Catholic in America

Catholic is the 160975th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Catholic surname appeared 100 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 Catholic.

The history of the last name Catholic

The surname "Catholic" is an English surname that originated in medieval times, derived from the Latin word "catholicus," meaning "universal" or "general." It was initially used as a descriptive term to refer to individuals who adhered to the Catholic faith or were associated with the Catholic Church.

The earliest known recorded instances of the surname "Catholic" can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various parts of England. During this period, it was common for people to adopt surnames based on their occupations, locations, or personal characteristics. The surname "Catholic" likely emerged as a way to identify individuals who were deeply involved in the Catholic Church or held positions within the ecclesiastical hierarchy.

One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname "Catholic" was William Catholic, who lived in Lincolnshire, England, in the late 13th century. Records from this time mention him as a landowner and a prominent figure in the local community.

In the 15th century, the surname "Catholic" appeared in the records of the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of the renowned playwright William Shakespeare. A man named John Catholic was mentioned as a landowner and a respected citizen of the town during this period.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname "Catholic" gained further recognition, particularly in the context of the religious conflicts and debates between Catholicism and Protestantism in England. Several notable individuals bore this surname, including:

1. Thomas Catholic (c. 1530-1592), an English Catholic martyr who was executed for his religious beliefs during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
2. Margaret Catholic (c. 1560-1620), a wealthy landowner and benefactor who supported Catholic causes and provided shelter for persecuted priests during the Reformation.
3. Edward Catholic (c. 1580-1645), a prominent scholar and theologian who wrote extensively on Catholic doctrine and defended the faith against Protestant critics.

As the centuries passed, the surname "Catholic" continued to appear in various historical records and documents across England and other parts of the British Isles. Some notable individuals with this surname in more recent history include:

1. Sir John Catholic (1802-1879), a British politician and member of Parliament who advocated for Catholic emancipation and equal rights.
2. Mary Catholic (1845-1923), a renowned author and poet who wrote about her Catholic upbringing and the struggles faced by Catholics in Victorian England.

While the surname "Catholic" is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of English surnames, reflecting the deep roots of Catholicism in the country's history and the enduring impact of religion on personal identities and family names.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Catholic

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

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 Catholic 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.

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!