2000
#8,238
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,701
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.37
Rare Last name
Licata
Sicilian occupational surname referring to a seller of a type of salt cod known as "licatam" or "leccatu."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,963 Americans carry the last name Licata. That puts it at #9,081 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,489 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Licata 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Licata with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 86,489
Census rank
#9,081
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,456 bearers of the surname Licata in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9081st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Licata, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Licata
The surname Licata originates from the Italian island of Sicily, dating back to the 11th century. It is derived from the name of the town of Licata, located in the province of Agrigento. The town's name is believed to come from the Latin word "alicata," meaning "paved with brick."
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Licata surname can be found in the Sicilian Monastic Archives, where a certain Giovanni Licata is mentioned as a landowner in the year 1210. The name also appears in the Tabulario della Certosa di Monreale, a collection of documents from the Monreale Cathedral, in the 13th century.
In the 15th century, a notable figure with the Licata surname was Antonello Licata, a painter from Palermo who was active between 1445 and 1470. His works can still be admired in various churches and museums across Sicily.
During the 16th century, the Licata family established itself as a prominent noble family in the town of Licata. One of its members, Vincenzo Licata (1540-1610), was a renowned jurist and served as a judge in the Royal Court of Sicily.
In the 18th century, the name Licata gained wider recognition with the birth of Gaetano Licata (1718-1789), a celebrated architect and engineer from Palermo. He designed several notable buildings, including the Church of San Domenico in Palermo and the Palazzo Branciforte in Ragusa.
Another notable figure bearing the Licata surname was Giuseppe Licata (1824-1898), a Italian politician and lawyer from Licata. He served as a deputy in the Italian Parliament and was instrumental in the development of his hometown.
Throughout history, the Licata surname has been associated with various place names and variations, such as Licata Vecchia, Licata Nuova, and Licata di Naro, all referring to different areas or settlements within the town of Licata in Sicily.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Licata
Among Census respondents with the surname Licata, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Licata 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 Licata surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 3,158
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 212
- Two or more races1.6% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Licata
Licata 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
#8,747
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,750
+49 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 509 places
2020
#9,081
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,456
-294 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 334 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,238 | 3,701 | 1.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,747 | 3,750 | 1.27 | +49 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 509 places |
| 2020 | #9,081 | 3,456 | 1.16 | -294 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 334 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 Licata 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 | #8,747 | #9,081 | -3.8% |
| Count | 3,750 | 3,456 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.27 | 1.16 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Licata bearers went from 3,750 to 3,456 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 334 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,747 to #9,081.
FAQ
Licata surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Licata?
Name Census estimates that about 3,963 living Americans carry the surname Licata. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,489 residents.
How common is Licata?
Licata ranks #9,081 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 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 3,456 people with the surname Licata. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,963), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 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 Licata.
Has Licata become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Licata went from 3,750 recorded bearers to 3,456. That is a decrease of 294 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,747 to #9,081.
What does the Census say about the background of Licata?
Among Census respondents with the surname Licata, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Licata in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (3,158 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Licata appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (6.1%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Licata (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 Licata mean?
Sicilian occupational surname referring to a seller of a type of salt cod known as "licatam" or "leccatu." 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 Licata (1.16 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 have the surname Licata?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.