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

Gatus, 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 Gatus surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gatus in America

Gatus is the 109258th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gatus surname appeared 162 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gatus.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gatus 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 Gatus

The surname GATUS originated from the medieval Latin word 'gatus', meaning a cat. It first appeared in Italy during the 12th century, specifically in the region of Tuscany. The name was likely initially a nickname or descriptive name given to someone who possessed cat-like characteristics or was associated with cats in some way.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the GATUS surname can be found in a document from the city of Siena, dated 1187, which mentions a certain "Petrus Gatus". This suggests that the name was already in use in Tuscany by the late 12th century.

During the 13th century, the GATUS name spread to other parts of Italy, including the regions of Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy. Records from this period show variations in spelling, such as "Gato", "Gatti", and "Gatto".

In the 14th century, the GATUS surname began to appear in other parts of Europe, likely due to the migration of Italian families. One notable example is Giovanni Gatus, a merchant from Florence who settled in Bruges, Belgium, around 1350.

One of the earliest known individuals with the GATUS surname was Benedetto Gatus, a scholar and humanist who lived in Venice from 1420 to 1499. He was known for his contributions to the study of ancient Greek and Latin literature.

Another prominent figure was Andrea Gatus, a Renaissance painter from Genoa who lived from 1480 to 1548. He was renowned for his religious works and frescoes, many of which can still be seen in churches throughout northern Italy.

In the 16th century, the GATUS surname appeared in Spain, where it was sometimes spelled "Gato". One notable bearer was Cristóbal Gato, a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in 1519.

In the 17th century, the GATUS name spread to other parts of Europe, including France and Germany, where it was sometimes spelled "Gattus" or "Gatus".

One of the most famous individuals with the GATUS surname was Vincenzo Gatus, an Italian composer and violinist who lived from 1650 to 1712. He was highly regarded for his contributions to the development of the violin concerto.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gatus

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

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

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

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