2010
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Oleta
A surname likely derived from a place name in Spain or Latin America.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Oleta. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oleta 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Oleta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oleta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.6%) and White (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oleta
The surname OLETA has its origins in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "oleto," which means a small olive grove or a place where olive trees grow. This suggests that the original bearers of this surname may have resided near or worked in an olive grove.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the OLETA surname can be found in the historic town records of Asti, located in the Piedmont region. In a document dated 1287, a certain "Giovanni dell'Oleta" is mentioned as a landowner in the area. This indicates that the surname was already in use by the late 13th century.
During the Renaissance period, the OLETA family gained prominence in the city of Turin, where they were involved in the silk trade. Several members of the family held positions of importance, such as Pietro OLETA, who served as a councilor in the city's governing body in the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the OLETA surname appeared in various records across northern Italy, including mentions in the archives of the Republic of Venice. Notably, a merchant named Marco OLETA is recorded as having traded goods between Venice and the Levant region in the early 1500s.
As the OLETA family expanded and migrated, their surname spread to other parts of Italy and beyond. In the 18th century, a notable figure was Giuseppe OLETA, a celebrated painter from Milan who was active in the early 1700s and known for his religious works.
Another significant individual bearing the OLETA surname was Antonio OLETA, a scholar and priest who lived in the late 18th century. He was born in Genoa in 1745 and became a renowned theologian, authoring several influential texts on Catholic doctrine during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, the OLETA surname found its way to the Americas through Italian immigration. One notable bearer was Giulio OLETA, an Italian-American entrepreneur who established a successful wine import business in New York City in the late 1800s.
While the surname OLETA has its roots in northern Italy, it has since spread across various regions and countries, carried by descendants of the original families. Despite its relatively rare occurrence, the name continues to be a part of the rich tapestry of global surnames, reflecting the diverse histories and migrations of people throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oleta
Among Census respondents with the surname Oleta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.6%) and White (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Oleta 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 Oleta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino81.7% · 94
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.6% · 11
- White5.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oleta
Oleta appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-11 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,894 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 11,894 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 Oleta 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 | #133,863 | #145,757 | -8.9% |
| Count | 126 | 115 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oleta bearers went from 126 to 115 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 11,894 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #145,757.
FAQ
Oleta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oleta?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Oleta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Oleta?
Oleta ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Oleta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Oleta.
Has Oleta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oleta went from 126 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Oleta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oleta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (9.6%) and White (5.2%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Oleta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.7% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oleta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (81.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (9.6%), White (5.2%). 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 Oleta (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 Oleta mean?
A surname likely derived from a place name in Spain or Latin America. 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 Oleta (0.04 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 Oleta?
You can see how many people have the surname Oleta on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.