2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mantua
An Italian surname derived from the name of the town Mantua.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Mantua. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mantua 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Mantua in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mantua, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mantua
The surname "Mantua" originated in Italy and dates back to medieval times. It is derived from the place name "Mantova," which is the Italian name for the city of Mantua, located in the northern region of Lombardy. The name "Mantova" itself comes from the Latin "Mantua," which may have been derived from an earlier Etruscan or Celtic root word.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "Mantua" can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cremonae, a collection of medieval documents from the city of Cremona, dating back to the 11th century. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time among families living in or around the Mantua area.
During the Renaissance period, the city of Mantua was a prominent cultural center, renowned for its art, literature, and music. Several notable individuals with the surname "Mantua" emerged from this era, including the composer and theorist Giovanni Battista Doni (1593-1647), who was born in Mantua and wrote extensively on music theory.
Another important figure was the architect and engineer Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola (1507-1573), who was born in Vignola, near Mantua, and is considered one of the most influential architects of the Renaissance. His real name was Giacomo Barozzi, but he was known as "da Vignola" or "of Vignola" due to his place of birth.
In the 17th century, the surname "Mantua" also appears in connection with the renowned Italian philosopher and mathematician, Bonaventura Cavalieri (1598-1647). Although he was born in Milan, his family originated from Mantua, and he spent a significant part of his life in that city.
Another notable figure from the same period was the sculptor and architect Gian Battista Mantovano (1590-1669), who was born in Mantua and worked on various architectural projects throughout Italy, including the Palazzo Ducale in Mantua.
It's worth mentioning that the surname "Mantua" is also sometimes spelled as "Mantova" or "Mantovani," reflecting the Italian origin of the name and the different ways it has been adapted over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mantua
Among Census respondents with the surname Mantua, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mantua 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 Mantua surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.6% · 83
- Hispanic or Latino20.7% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.9% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mantua
Mantua appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+6 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,832 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.2%) | Up 2,832 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 Mantua 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 | #144,141 | #141,309 | 2.0% |
| Count | 115 | 121 | 5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mantua bearers went from 115 to 121 (+5.2% change). The surname moved up 2,832 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #141,309.
FAQ
Mantua surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mantua?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Mantua. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Mantua?
Mantua ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Mantua. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Mantua.
Has Mantua become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mantua went from 115 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 6 (+5.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Mantua?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mantua, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (20.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mantua in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.6% (83 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mantua appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.6%), Hispanic (20.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (9.9%). 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 Mantua (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 Mantua mean?
An Italian surname derived from the name of the town Mantua. 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 Mantua (0.04 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 Mantua?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.