2000
#7,321
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,192
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.55
Rare Last name
Gatto
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who catches cats or a cat hunter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,535 Americans carry the last name Gatto. That puts it at #8,038 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,580 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gatto 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
4.5K
1 in 75,580
Census rank
#8,038
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,955 bearers of the surname Gatto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8038th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gatto, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gatto
The surname Gatto originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "gatto," meaning cat. This suggests that the name may have been a nickname or descriptive name given to someone who had a cat-like appearance or personality.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Gatto can be found in historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries in various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Lombardy, and Sicily. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Guglielmo Gatto, a merchant from Genoa who lived in the late 13th century.
In the 14th century, the Gatto family was prominent in the city of Messina, Sicily. Several members of the family held important positions in the local government and were involved in maritime trade. One notable figure was Tommaso Gatto, who served as a magistrate in Messina in the mid-14th century.
The surname Gatto also appeared in historical records from other parts of Italy, such as the Veneto region. In the 15th century, a nobleman named Giovanni Gatto was mentioned in documents from the city of Verona.
As the Gatto family spread throughout Italy over the centuries, various spellings and variations of the name emerged, including Gatti, Gatto, and Gattoni. These variations often reflected regional dialects or local pronunciation differences.
Notable individuals with the surname Gatto include:
1. Alfredo Gatto (1909-1976), an Italian writer and journalist known for his works on art and literature.
2. Salvatore Gatto (1887-1975), an Italian-American businessman and one of the founders of the Tropicana Products Company.
3. Vincenzo Gatto (1832-1893), an Italian painter and sculptor who worked in the Neoclassical style.
4. Giuseppe Gatto (1838-1908), an Italian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Italian Parliament.
5. Antonio Gatto (1920-1998), an Italian film director and screenwriter known for his work in the neorealist cinema movement.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname Gatto who have made significant contributions throughout history in various fields, including literature, business, art, politics, and filmmaking.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gatto
Among Census respondents with the surname Gatto, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gatto 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 Gatto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 3,625
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 213
- Two or more races1.9% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 20
- Black or African American0.4% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gatto
Gatto 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
#7,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,486
+294 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 100 places
2020
#8,038
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,955
-531 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Down 617 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,321 | 4,192 | 1.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,421 | 4,486 | 1.52 | +294 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 100 places |
| 2020 | #8,038 | 3,955 | 1.32 | -531 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 617 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 Gatto 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 | #7,421 | #8,038 | -8.3% |
| Count | 4,486 | 3,955 | -11.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.52 | 1.32 | -12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gatto bearers went from 4,486 to 3,955 (-11.8% change). The surname moved down 617 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,421 to #8,038.
FAQ
Gatto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gatto?
Name Census estimates that about 4,535 living Americans carry the surname Gatto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,580 residents.
How common is Gatto?
Gatto ranks #8,038 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.32 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 3,955 people with the surname Gatto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,535), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.32 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 Gatto.
Has Gatto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gatto went from 4,486 recorded bearers to 3,955. That is a decrease of 531 (-11.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,421 to #8,038.
What does the Census say about the background of Gatto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gatto, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Gatto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (3,625 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gatto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (5.4%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Gatto (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 Gatto mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who catches cats or a cat hunter. 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 Gatto (1.32 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 Gatto?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Gatto on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.