2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Emata
A surname of African origin, possibly relating to good fortune or favor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Emata. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Emata 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Emata in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Emata, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.8%) and Hispanic (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Emata
The surname EMATA is believed to have originated in the Philippines during the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Visayan word "emata," meaning "watchful" or "alert." The name was likely given to families who lived in coastal areas and were tasked with keeping watch for potential threats or incoming ships.
The earliest recorded instances of the name EMATA can be found in Spanish colonial records from the 1600s, when the Philippines was under Spanish rule. Some of the earliest known individuals with this surname include Juan Emata, a fisherman born in 1623 in the town of Cebu, and Maria Emata, a midwife born in 1639 in the province of Leyte.
In the 18th century, the name EMATA began to spread to other parts of the Philippines, particularly in the Visayas region. During this time, several notable individuals with this surname emerged, such as Pedro Emata, a respected village chief in the town of Ormoc, born in 1718, and Josefa Emata, a renowned weaver from Bohol, born in 1755.
As the Philippines underwent various changes and transitions in the 19th century, the EMATA name continued to be prominent. One notable figure was Manuel Emata, a revolutionist who fought against Spanish colonial rule, born in 1825 in Negros Occidental. Another was Catalina Emata, a respected teacher and advocate for women's education, born in 1847 in Cebu.
Throughout the 20th century, the EMATA surname continued to be well-represented in various fields. Some notable individuals include Gregorio Emata, a prominent lawyer and judge born in 1901 in Leyte, and Luisa Emata, a celebrated poet and writer born in 1922 in Iloilo.
While the EMATA surname is most commonly found in the Philippines, it has also been carried by Filipino families who have migrated to other parts of the world, particularly in the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Emata
Among Census respondents with the surname Emata, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.8%) and Hispanic (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Emata 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 Emata surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander79.5% · 93
- White6.8% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 8
- Two or more races6.8% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Emata
Emata appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+7 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,125 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.4%) | Up 5,125 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 Emata 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 | #149,395 | #144,270 | 3.4% |
| Count | 110 | 117 | 6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Emata bearers went from 110 to 117 (+6.4% change). The surname moved up 5,125 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #144,270.
FAQ
Emata surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Emata?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Emata. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Emata?
Emata ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Emata. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Emata.
Has Emata become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Emata went from 110 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 7 (+6.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Emata?
Among Census respondents with the surname Emata, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.5%. The next largest groups are White (6.8%) and Hispanic (6.8%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Emata in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.5% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Emata appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (79.5%), White (6.8%), Hispanic (6.8%). 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 Emata (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 Emata mean?
A surname of African origin, possibly relating to good fortune or favor. 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 Emata (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Emata?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.