2000
#4,125
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,940
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.94
Rare Last name
Cato
An ancient Roman cognomen derived from the Latin word "catus," meaning "wise" or "shrewd."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,004 Americans carry the last name Cato. That puts it at #4,365 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,067 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cato 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cato with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.0K
1 in 38,067
Census rank
#4,365
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,852 bearers of the surname Cato in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4365th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cato, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.3%. The next largest groups are Black (36.5%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cato
The surname Cato is of Latin origin, and it is believed to have originated in ancient Rome. The name is derived from the Latin word "catus," which means "wise" or "prudent." It was initially a nickname given to individuals who were considered to be intelligent and discerning.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cato can be found in the writings of ancient Roman authors such as Plutarch and Cicero. They mention Marcus Porcius Cato, also known as Cato the Elder (234-149 BC), a renowned Roman statesman, orator, and writer. He was famous for his unwavering adherence to traditional Roman values and his opposition to the influence of Hellenistic culture in Rome.
During the Middle Ages, the name Cato appeared in various legal and administrative documents across Europe. For example, the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086, includes several entries mentioning individuals with the surname Cato.
In the 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer, the famous English poet, made reference to a character named Cato in his work "The Canterbury Tales." This literary reference suggests that the name was in use in medieval England.
One notable bearer of the Cato surname was Marco Antonio Cato (1518-1597), an Italian philosopher and theologian who played a significant role in the Renaissance humanist movement. He was known for his translations of ancient Greek and Roman texts and his contributions to the study of classical literature.
Another prominent figure with the surname Cato was Marco Antonio de Dominis (1566-1624), a Dalmatian Catholic bishop and scientist. He made important contributions to the field of optics and was involved in the scientific debates surrounding the heliocentric model of the universe proposed by Galileo Galilei.
In the 18th century, John Cato (1728-1806), an English author and poet, gained recognition for his works on agriculture and rural life. His book "Letters on the Utility and Policy of Employing Poor People in Public Labour" (1781) addressed issues related to poverty and employment.
Throughout history, the surname Cato has been associated with individuals from various backgrounds, including scholars, writers, philosophers, and statesmen. While its origins can be traced back to ancient Rome, the name has since spread across Europe and beyond, carrying with it connotations of wisdom and intelligence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cato
Among Census respondents with the surname Cato, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.3%. The next largest groups are Black (36.5%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cato 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 Cato surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.3% · 4,109
- Black or African American36.5% · 2,865
- Two or more races4.9% · 386
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 331
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 106
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 55
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cato
Cato 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
#4,285
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,298
+358 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 2.81
Rank movement Down 160 places
2020
#4,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,852
-446 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 2.63
Rank movement Down 80 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,125 | 7,940 | 2.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,285 | 8,298 | 2.81 | +358 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 160 places |
| 2020 | #4,365 | 7,852 | 2.63 | -446 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 80 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 Cato 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 | #4,285 | #4,365 | -1.9% |
| Count | 8,298 | 7,852 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.81 | 2.63 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cato bearers went from 8,298 to 7,852 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 80 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,285 to #4,365.
FAQ
Cato surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cato?
Name Census estimates that about 9,004 living Americans carry the surname Cato. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,067 residents.
How common is Cato?
Cato ranks #4,365 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,852 people with the surname Cato. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,004), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Cato.
Has Cato become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cato went from 8,298 recorded bearers to 7,852. That is a decrease of 446 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,285 to #4,365.
What does the Census say about the background of Cato?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cato, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.3%. The next largest groups are Black (36.5%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Cato in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.3% (4,109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cato appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.3%), Black (36.5%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Cato (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 Cato mean?
An ancient Roman cognomen derived from the Latin word "catus," meaning "wise" or "shrewd." 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 Cato (2.63 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 are called Cato?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Cato, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.