2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Manitta
A surname of Italian origin referring to someone from the town of Minitello.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Manitta. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Manitta 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Manitta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Manitta, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Manitta
The surname Manitta has its origins in Italy, specifically in the regions of Sicily and Calabria, where it can be traced back to the late medieval period. The name is believed to be derived from the Latin word "manitus," meaning "handled" or "tamed," suggesting a possible connection to occupations involving skilled manual work or animal handling.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 15th century, when a certain Giovanni Manitta is mentioned in a legal document from the city of Palermo, Sicily. This document, dated 1472, refers to a land dispute involving Giovanni and several other individuals.
In the 16th century, the Manitta name appeared in various records from the town of Reggio Calabria, located in the southern region of Calabria. These records include birth, marriage, and death registries, as well as property deeds and tax records, indicating that the family had established itself as a prominent presence in the area.
One notable figure from this period was Antonio Manitta, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in Reggio Calabria during the late 1500s. Antonio's name is mentioned in several business transactions and land purchases, showcasing the family's economic influence in the region.
In the 17th century, the Manitta surname spread to other parts of Italy, including Naples and Rome. One individual of note was Vincenzo Manitta, a scholar and theologian born in Naples in 1632. Vincenzo authored several theological treatises and served as a professor at the University of Naples.
The 18th century saw the emergence of Gaetano Manitta, a renowned artist from Palermo, Sicily, who was renowned for his religious paintings and frescoes adorning various churches throughout the island. Gaetano's works, created between 1725 and 1790, showcased his mastery of the Baroque style and earned him widespread acclaim.
As the Manitta family continued to expand and migrate across Italy, the name underwent various spellings and variations, including Manitto, Manitti, and Manittia. These variations likely stemmed from regional dialects and local pronunciation differences.
While the Manitta surname has a rich history in Italy, it has also spread to other parts of the world through immigration, particularly to the Americas and Australia. However, the core of its origins and earliest documented instances remain firmly rooted in the regions of Sicily and Calabria, where the name first gained prominence and significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Manitta
Among Census respondents with the surname Manitta, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Manitta 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 Manitta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.0% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Manitta
Manitta 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+5 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,244 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-26 bearers (-20.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 21,819 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 4,244 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -26 bearers (-20.6%) | Down 21,819 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 Manitta 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 | #133,863 | #155,682 | -16.3% |
| Count | 126 | 100 | -20.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Manitta bearers went from 126 to 100 (-20.6% change). The surname moved down 21,819 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #155,682.
FAQ
Manitta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Manitta?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Manitta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Manitta?
Manitta ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 100 people with the surname Manitta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Manitta.
Has Manitta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Manitta went from 126 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 26 (-20.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Manitta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Manitta, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Manitta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Manitta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.0%), Hispanic (2.0%), Black (1.0%). 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 Manitta (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 Manitta mean?
A surname of Italian origin referring to someone from the town of Minitello. 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 Manitta (0.03 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 Manitta?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.