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

Coto, 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 Coto surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Coto in America

Coto is the 11229th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Coto surname appeared 2,814 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Coto.

We can also compare 2010 data for Coto 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 Coto

The surname COTO originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "coto," which means a demarcated territory or hunting ground reserved for the nobility. The name likely originated as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near or worked on one of these hunting grounds.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the COTO surname can be found in the Cartulario de Valpuesta, a medieval manuscript from the 10th century that mentions a person named Gonzalo Coto. This suggests that the name was already in use by at least the 10th century in the region of Castile, Spain.

In the 12th century, the COTO surname appears in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a census-like document that recorded the names of landowners and their properties. This document mentions several individuals with the COTO surname, such as Pedro Coto and Domingo Coto, further cementing the name's presence in medieval Spain.

One notable historical figure with the COTO surname was Juan Coto, a Spanish explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. Juan Coto was born around 1460 in Moguer, Spain, and served as a ship's navigator during the expeditions.

Another individual of note was Pedro Coto de Ledesma (1520-1600), a Spanish jurist and theologian who was a professor at the University of Salamanca. He wrote extensively on topics related to canon law and theology.

In the 16th century, the COTO surname also appears in records from the Spanish conquest of the Americas. One such example is Juan Coto de Sosa, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru under Francisco Pizarro in the 1530s.

Over time, variations of the COTO surname emerged, including Cotta, Cotte, and Cotté. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and spelling differences across different areas of Spain and its territories.

While the COTO surname has its roots in Spain, it eventually spread to other parts of the world through Spanish exploration and colonization, particularly in Latin America and the Philippines. Today, the COTO surname can be found in many Spanish-speaking countries, as well as among Hispanic communities in the United States and other regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Coto

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

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

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

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