Find out how popular the last name Motto is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Motto.
An Italian surname derived from a nickname for a talkative or loquacious person.
Motto, 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 Motto surname is from the 2010 census data.
Motto is the 18262nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Motto surname appeared 1,521 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 Motto.
We can also compare 2010 data for Motto 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.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 18262 | 16783 | 8.44% |
| Count | 1,521 | 1,566 | -2.92% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.52 | 0.58 | -10.91% |
The surname MOTTO is of Italian origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Italian word "motto," meaning "a witty or pithy saying." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon someone known for their witty or clever remarks.
The earliest recorded instances of the MOTTO surname can be traced back to the 14th century in various regions of Italy, particularly in the northern regions such as Lombardy and Veneto. Historical records from this time period, including tax rolls and municipal archives, feature individuals bearing this surname.
One notable historical reference to the MOTTO name can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico Padovano," a collection of medieval documents from the city of Padua, dating back to the 13th century. This collection mentions a certain "Guglielmo Motto," a landowner and prominent figure in the region.
Another early recorded instance of the MOTTO surname appears in the "Matricola dei Mercanti di Venezia," a register of merchants in Venice from the 15th century. This document lists a "Giovanni Motto," a merchant involved in the city's thriving trade networks.
Among the notable individuals bearing the MOTTO surname throughout history, one can mention:
It is worth noting that variations of the MOTTO surname have also been found in historical records, such as "Mottino" and "Mottini," which could be diminutive forms or regional variants of the name.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Motto.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Motto was:
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Only | 88.10% | 1,340 |
| Non-Hispanic Black Only | 2.37% | 36 |
| Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 1.05% | 16 |
| Hispanic Origin | 7.50% | 114 |
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 Motto has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 88.10% | 91.63% | -3.93% |
| Black | 2.37% | 1.34% | 55.53% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | (S)% | 0.38% | (S)% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | 0.00% | (S)% |
| Two or More Races | 1.05% | 0.83% | 23.40% |
| Hispanic | 7.50% | 5.81% | 25.39% |
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 Motto was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Motto, please contact us.
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