2000
#3,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,356
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.47
Uncommon Last name
Cota
A toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a grove or a small forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,260 Americans carry the last name Cota. That puts it at #3,301 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,957 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cota 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
12K
1 in 27,957
Census rank
#3,301
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,691 bearers of the surname Cota in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3301st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cota, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.1%. The next largest groups are White (28.4%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cota
The surname Cota has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, particularly in Portugal and Spain, where it first appeared around the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Latin word "cotta," which referred to a type of tunic or outer garment worn in ancient times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Cota surname can be found in the Livro Velho de Linhagens (Old Book of Lineages), a Portuguese genealogical record dating back to the 13th century. This document mentions several individuals bearing the Cota name, suggesting its relatively widespread use during that period.
In the 14th century, the Cota surname appeared in the Catalan region of Spain, where it was associated with the noble family of the same name. Notable members of this family include Ramon Cota, a distinguished knight who fought in the Reconquista against the Moors during the reign of King Jaume I of Aragon (1208-1276).
The Cota name has also been linked to various place names in Portugal and Spain, such as Cota (a parish in the municipality of Alenquer, Portugal) and Cota (a municipality in the province of Cuenca, Spain). It is possible that the surname originated from these locations or that individuals from these areas adopted the name as a means of identification.
In the 16th century, the explorer and navigator Juan de la Cosa (c. 1450-1510) is believed to have had the surname Cota, although this is not entirely certain. De la Cosa was a prominent figure in the early Spanish exploration of the Americas and is credited with creating one of the earliest known maps of the New World.
Another notable individual with the Cota surname was Pedro Cota Ruiz (1570-1647), a Spanish playwright and poet from Córdoba. He was a contemporary of the renowned dramatist Lope de Vega and is remembered for his contributions to the Spanish Golden Age of literature.
During the colonial period, the Cota surname spread to various parts of the Spanish Empire, including the Americas. One example is Juan Bautista de Anza Cota (1735-1788), a Spanish military officer who led several expeditions to establish settlements in present-day California and Arizona.
In more recent times, the Cota surname has been associated with several influential figures, such as Gert Cota (1888-1966), a Dutch architect known for his innovative designs and contributions to the Amsterdam School of architecture, and Julio Cota (1920-1995), a renowned Mexican painter and muralist whose works celebrated the indigenous cultures of Mexico.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cota
Among Census respondents with the surname Cota, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.1%. The next largest groups are White (28.4%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Cota 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 Cota surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino68.1% · 7,276
- White28.4% · 3,036
- Two or more races1.5% · 165
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 59
- Black or African American0.4% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cota
Cota 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
#3,120
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,554
+2,198 bearers (+23.5%)
Per 100,000 3.92
Rank movement Up 374 places
2020
#3,301
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,691
-863 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 3.58
Rank movement Down 181 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,494 | 9,356 | 3.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,120 | 11,554 | 3.92 | +2,198 bearers (+23.5%) | Up 374 places |
| 2020 | #3,301 | 10,691 | 3.58 | -863 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 181 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 Cota 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 | #3,120 | #3,301 | -5.8% |
| Count | 11,554 | 10,691 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.92 | 3.58 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cota bearers went from 11,554 to 10,691 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 181 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,120 to #3,301.
FAQ
Cota surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cota?
Name Census estimates that about 12,260 living Americans carry the surname Cota. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,957 residents.
How common is Cota?
Cota ranks #3,301 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,691 people with the surname Cota. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,260), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Cota.
Has Cota become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cota went from 11,554 recorded bearers to 10,691. That is a decrease of 863 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,120 to #3,301.
What does the Census say about the background of Cota?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cota, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.1%. The next largest groups are White (28.4%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cota in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.1% (7,276 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cota appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (68.1%), White (28.4%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Cota (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 Cota mean?
A toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a grove or a small forest. 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 Cota (3.58 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 common is the surname Cota?
If you just want to know how common the surname Cota is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.