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

Nicotera, 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 Nicotera surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nicotera in America

Nicotera is the 43438th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nicotera surname appeared 497 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 Nicotera.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nicotera 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 Nicotera

The surname Nicotera has its origins in Italy, specifically in the region of Calabria. It is believed to have originated in the town of Nicotera, located in the province of Vibo Valentia. The name is derived from the Greek word "niketria," which means "victorious" or "conqueror."

In the 11th century, during the Norman conquest of southern Italy, the town of Nicotera played a significant role in the struggles between the Normans and the Byzantine Empire. Records from this period mention individuals bearing the surname Nicotera, suggesting it was already established as a family name.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nicotera can be found in the "Catalogus Baronum," a medieval document compiled in 1150-1168 that listed the Norman feudal barons in the Kingdom of Sicily. This document mentions a certain Roberto Nicotera, who held lands in the region.

During the Renaissance period, the Nicotera family gained prominence in Calabria. In the 15th century, Giovanni Nicotera (1420-1495) was a renowned scholar and humanist who authored several works on philosophy and literature. His nephew, Tommaso Nicotera (1455-1518), was a prominent lawyer and judge in the Kingdom of Naples.

In the 19th century, one of the most notable figures with the surname Nicotera was Giovanni Nicotera (1828-1894), an Italian patriot and political figure who played a vital role in the unification of Italy (Risorgimento). He served as a member of the Italian Parliament and held various ministerial positions.

Another prominent individual with the Nicotera surname was Antonio Nicotera (1859-1924), an Italian lawyer, politician, and journalist. He was a member of the Italian Parliament and served as the Minister of Public Works from 1909 to 1911.

More recently, Pasquale Nicotera (1919-2002) was an Italian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Italian Parliament and held various ministerial positions in the 1970s and 1980s.

While the surname Nicotera is most commonly associated with the region of Calabria in Italy, it has spread to other parts of the world through immigration and diaspora communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nicotera

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

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

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

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