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

Musta, 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 Musta surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Musta in America

Musta is the 101247th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Musta surname appeared 178 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Musta.

We can also compare 2010 data for Musta 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 Musta

The surname MUSTA is of Finnish origin and is believed to have emerged in the 16th century. It is derived from the Finnish word "musta," which translates to "black" in English. This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname given to individuals with dark hair or complexion.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the MUSTA surname can be found in the parish records of Nykyrka, a municipality located in southwestern Finland, dating back to the late 16th century. These records document several families bearing the MUSTA surname, indicating that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the MUSTA surname spread to other parts of Finland, particularly in the central and northern regions. The name appears in various historical documents, including tax records, church registers, and land ownership records from this period.

Notable individuals with the MUSTA surname include Johan Musta (1645-1714), a Finnish merchant and ship owner who played a significant role in the development of the maritime trade in the Gulf of Finland. Another prominent figure was Mikael Musta (1792-1868), a Finnish author and playwright who is credited with writing some of the earliest plays in the Finnish language.

In the 19th century, the MUSTA surname gained recognition beyond Finland's borders. One example is Carl Gustaf Musta (1826-1898), a Swedish-Finnish businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of the textile industry in Sweden.

Moving into the 20th century, the MUSTA surname continued to be associated with notable individuals. Väinö Musta (1901-1987) was a Finnish architect renowned for his modernist designs, including the Helsinki Olympic Stadium, which was built for the 1952 Summer Olympics.

It is worth noting that variations of the MUSTA surname, such as Mustonen and Mustajärvi, emerged over time, often indicating a connection to a specific location or place name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Musta

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

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

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

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