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

Mosca, 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 Mosca surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mosca in America

Mosca is the 13271st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mosca surname appeared 2,298 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Mosca.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mosca 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.

The history of the last name Mosca

The surname Mosca has its origins in Italy, specifically from the regions of Piedmont and Liguria. The name is derived from the Italian word "mosca," which means "fly." It is believed that the name was originally a nickname for someone with a quick or agile personality, much like the movement of a fly.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Mosca can be found in the 12th century, in the Codex Diplomaticus Sardiniae, a collection of historical documents related to the island of Sardinia. The codex mentions a certain "Petrus Mosca" as a witness to a legal transaction in the year 1175.

In the 13th century, the name Mosca appears in various documents from the Republic of Genoa, suggesting that the surname was well-established in the region during that time period. One notable example is Giovanni Mosca, a Genoese merchant and diplomat who was active in the late 13th century.

During the Renaissance period, the surname gained prominence in the city of Florence. One of the most famous individuals bearing the name was Ugolino della Gherardesca, also known as Ugolino Mosca, a count and military leader who lived from around 1220 to 1289. His tragic story, involving imprisonment and starvation, was immortalized by Dante Alighieri in the Divine Comedy.

In the 16th century, the Mosca family established themselves as prominent landowners and aristocrats in the region of Piedmont. One notable member was Carlo Mosca, born around 1540, who served as a military commander and governor of various fortresses in the service of the House of Savoy.

Another significant figure with the surname Mosca was Gerolamo Mosca, a philosopher and political theorist who lived from 1617 to 1692. He is best known for his work "The Ruler," which explored the nature of power and the role of the elite in society.

Throughout the centuries, the surname Mosca has also been associated with several place names in Italy, such as Moscazzano, a hamlet in the province of Cremona, and Mosca, a small village in the province of Asti.

While the surname Mosca is predominantly Italian in origin, it has also been adopted by families in other parts of Europe and the Americas, often through migration or intermarriage. However, the name's roots can be traced back to the regions of Piedmont and Liguria in Italy, where it has a rich and storied history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mosca

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

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 Mosca was:

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

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

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

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