2000
#8,241
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,699
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.37
Rare Last name
Motta
An Italian occupational surname referring to a dairy farmer or producer of ricotta cheese.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,414 Americans carry the last name Motta. That puts it at #8,247 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,652 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Motta 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
4.4K
1 in 77,652
Census rank
#8,247
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,849 bearers of the surname Motta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8247th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Motta, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Motta
The surname Motta has its origins in Italy, dating back to the Middle Ages. This name is derived from the Italian word "motta," which means a small hill or mound. It is likely that the name was initially given to someone who lived near or on a small hill.
The earliest known record of the name Motta can be traced back to the 12th century in the region of Piedmont, Italy. The name was commonly found in the province of Cuneo, where several towns and villages bear variations of the name, such as Motta Monforte and Motta San Giovanni.
During the Renaissance period, the Motta family gained prominence in the city of Venice. One notable figure was Girolamo Motta, a renowned architect who lived from 1488 to 1562. He was responsible for designing several important buildings in Venice, including the Church of San Zaccaria.
In the 17th century, the name Motta appeared in historical records in the Kingdom of Naples. One of the most notable figures from this time was Domenico Motta, a respected jurist and legal scholar who lived from 1628 to 1699.
Another prominent individual with the surname Motta was Francesco Motta, an Italian businessman and confectioner who founded the iconic Motta brand in 1859. His company became renowned for producing high-quality pastries and chocolates, and it grew into a significant enterprise in Italy.
In the 20th century, the name Motta gained international recognition through the achievements of Renato Motta, an Italian engineer and industrialist who lived from 1899 to 1988. He played a crucial role in the development of the Italian automotive industry, working closely with companies like Fiat and Lancia.
While the surname Motta has its roots in Italy, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration and intermarriage. However, its origins can be traced back to the small hills and mounds of the Italian countryside, where the name first emerged and gained significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Motta
Among Census respondents with the surname Motta, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Motta 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 Motta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.9% · 2,421
- Hispanic or Latino31.1% · 1,196
- Two or more races2.3% · 89
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 74
- Black or African American1.6% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Motta
Motta 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
#7,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,173
+474 bearers (+12.8%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Up 312 places
2020
#8,247
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,849
-324 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 318 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,241 | 3,699 | 1.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,929 | 4,173 | 1.41 | +474 bearers (+12.8%) | Up 312 places |
| 2020 | #8,247 | 3,849 | 1.29 | -324 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 318 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 Motta 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 | #7,929 | #8,247 | -4.0% |
| Count | 4,173 | 3,849 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.41 | 1.29 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Motta bearers went from 4,173 to 3,849 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 318 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,929 to #8,247.
FAQ
Motta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Motta?
Name Census estimates that about 4,414 living Americans carry the surname Motta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,652 residents.
How common is Motta?
Motta ranks #8,247 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.29 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 3,849 people with the surname Motta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,414), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.29 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 Motta.
Has Motta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Motta went from 4,173 recorded bearers to 3,849. That is a decrease of 324 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,929 to #8,247.
What does the Census say about the background of Motta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Motta, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Motta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.9% (2,421 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Motta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.9%), Hispanic (31.1%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Motta (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 Motta mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a dairy farmer or producer of ricotta cheese. 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 Motta (1.29 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 last name Motta?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Motta at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.