2000
#10,460
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,817
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Horta
A Portuguese topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a vegetable garden or orchard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,843 Americans carry the last name Horta. That puts it at #9,326 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 89,189 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Horta 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
3.8K
1 in 89,189
Census rank
#9,326
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,351 bearers of the surname Horta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9326th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Horta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.2%. The next largest groups are White (13.2%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Horta
The surname Horta originated in Portugal and is believed to have derived from the Portuguese word "horta," meaning "vegetable garden" or "small farm." The name likely arose as a descriptive identifier for someone who lived near or worked on a vegetable farm.
The earliest known record of the Horta surname dates back to the 13th century in the region of Minho, northern Portugal. Historical documents from this time mention individuals with the name Horta living in the areas around Braga and Guimarães.
In the 14th century, the surname Horta can be found in records from the Douro region of northern Portugal, particularly in the city of Porto. It is believed that the name spread to other parts of the country during this period as people migrated.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Horta was João Horta, a landowner and farmer who lived in the village of Barcelos in the late 14th century. Another notable early bearer of the name was Diogo Horta, a merchant and ship owner from Porto who was involved in the Portuguese spice trade in the 15th century.
During the Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries, several Portuguese explorers and navigators with the surname Horta played significant roles in the exploration and colonization of new territories. One such individual was Gaspar Horta, born in 1492, who was a navigator and cartographer involved in the exploration of Brazil and the West Indies.
Another prominent figure was Tomé Horta, born in 1520, a Portuguese explorer and administrator who served as the governor of the Portuguese colony of Malacca in present-day Malaysia from 1567 to 1573.
In the 17th century, the Horta surname gained prominence in the artistic and literary circles of Portugal. One notable individual was Manuel Horta, born in 1611, a painter and architect who worked on several churches and monasteries in Lisbon.
Over the centuries, the surname Horta has spread beyond Portugal to other parts of the world, including Brazil, where it is relatively common due to Portuguese colonization and immigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Horta
Among Census respondents with the surname Horta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.2%. The next largest groups are White (13.2%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Horta 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 Horta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino85.2% · 2,854
- White13.2% · 443
- Black or African American0.9% · 30
- Two or more races0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Horta
Horta 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
#8,481
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,889
+1,072 bearers (+38.1%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Up 1,979 places
2020
#9,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,351
-538 bearers (-13.8%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Down 845 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,460 | 2,817 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,481 | 3,889 | 1.32 | +1,072 bearers (+38.1%) | Up 1,979 places |
| 2020 | #9,326 | 3,351 | 1.12 | -538 bearers (-13.8%) | Down 845 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 Horta 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 | #8,481 | #9,326 | -10.0% |
| Count | 3,889 | 3,351 | -13.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.32 | 1.12 | -15.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Horta bearers went from 3,889 to 3,351 (-13.8% change). The surname moved down 845 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,481 to #9,326.
FAQ
Horta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Horta?
Name Census estimates that about 3,843 living Americans carry the surname Horta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 89,189 residents.
How common is Horta?
Horta ranks #9,326 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.12 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 3,351 people with the surname Horta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,843), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.12 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 Horta.
Has Horta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Horta went from 3,889 recorded bearers to 3,351. That is a decrease of 538 (-13.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,481 to #9,326.
What does the Census say about the background of Horta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Horta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.2%. The next largest groups are White (13.2%) and Black (0.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Horta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.2% (2,854 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Horta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (85.2%), White (13.2%), Black (0.9%). 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 Horta (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 Horta mean?
A Portuguese topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a vegetable garden or orchard. 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 Horta (1.12 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 Horta?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.