Kota last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Kota

A place name referring to a fortified settlement or fort.

Kota, 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 Kota surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kota in America

Kota is the 26873rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kota surname appeared 904 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 Kota.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kota 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 26873 45651 -51.78%
Count 904 441 68.85%
Proportion per 100k 0.31 0.16 63.83%

The history of the last name Kota

The surname KOTA has its origins in India, where it is believed to have emerged during the medieval period. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word 'kota,' which means 'fort' or 'fortified place.' This suggests that the name may have been originally associated with individuals who lived in or near a fortified settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname KOTA can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The document mentions several individuals with the surname KOTA who held administrative positions in various regions of the empire.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name KOTA was particularly prevalent in the region of Rajasthan, where several prominent families with this surname were known to have held significant influence and power. For example, the Kota rulers of the princely state of Kotah, who traced their lineage back to the 13th century, were one of the most prominent families with this surname.

One notable figure from this family was Maharao Raja Bhim Singh Kota (1776-1825), who ruled over the state of Kotah during the early 19th century. He is remembered for his efforts in modernizing the administration and promoting education and culture within his kingdom.

Another historical figure with the surname KOTA was Rani Lakshmibai Kota (1828-1858), the legendary queen of the princely state of Jhansi. She played a pivotal role in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British East India Company and is revered as a symbol of bravery and resistance in Indian history.

In the field of literature, Kavi Govind Ram Kota (1770-1852) was a renowned Hindi poet and scholar from Rajasthan. He was known for his works that celebrated the cultural heritage of the region and his contributions to the development of the Hindi language.

Beyond India, the surname KOTA has also been found in other parts of South Asia, such as Nepal and Sri Lanka, likely due to migration patterns and cultural exchanges between these regions over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kota

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

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 Kota was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 24.89% 225
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.88% 17
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 70.02% 633
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.00% 9
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.88% 8
Hispanic Origin 1.33% 12

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 Kota has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 24.89% 45.35% -58.26%
Black 1.88% 1.13% 49.83%
Asian and Pacific Islander 70.02% 46.71% 39.94%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.00% 1.36% -30.51%
Two or More Races 0.88% 4.08% -129.03%
Hispanic 1.33% 1.36% -2.23%

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

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

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"Kota last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 21, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/kota-surname-popularity/.

"Kota last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/kota-surname-popularity/. Accessed 21 November, 2024

Kota last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/kota-surname-popularity/.

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