2000
#13,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,995
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Coto
A Spanish surname derived from the word "coto," meaning a preserve or area of restricted hunting rights.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,342 Americans carry the last name Coto. That puts it at #10,505 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 102,560 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Coto 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
3.3K
1 in 102,560
Census rank
#10,505
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,914 bearers of the surname Coto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10505th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Coto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.6%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Coto
Among Census respondents with the surname Coto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.6%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Coto 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 Coto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.3% · 2,603
- White8.6% · 251
- Black or African American1.0% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 14
- Two or more races0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Coto
Coto 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
#11,229
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,814
+819 bearers (+41.1%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 2,656 places
2020
#10,505
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,914
+100 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Up 724 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,885 | 1,995 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,229 | 2,814 | 0.95 | +819 bearers (+41.1%) | Up 2,656 places |
| 2020 | #10,505 | 2,914 | 0.97 | +100 bearers (+3.6%) | Up 724 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 Coto 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 | #11,229 | #10,505 | 6.4% |
| Count | 2,814 | 2,914 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.97 | 2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Coto bearers went from 2,814 to 2,914 (+3.6% change). The surname moved up 724 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,229 to #10,505.
FAQ
Coto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Coto?
Name Census estimates that about 3,342 living Americans carry the surname Coto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 102,560 residents.
How common is Coto?
Coto ranks #10,505 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,914 people with the surname Coto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,342), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Coto.
Has Coto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Coto went from 2,814 recorded bearers to 2,914. That is an increase of 100 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,229 to #10,505.
What does the Census say about the background of Coto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Coto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.6%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Coto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (2,603 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Coto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.3%), White (8.6%), Black (1.0%). 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 Coto (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 Coto mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "coto," meaning a preserve or area of restricted hunting rights. 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 Coto (0.97 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 Coto?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Coto, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.