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

Onesti, 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 Onesti surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Onesti in America

Onesti is the 71886th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Onesti surname appeared 271 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 Onesti.

We can also compare 2010 data for Onesti 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 Onesti

The surname Onesti is of Italian origin, and it is believed to have originated in the region of Piedmont during the medieval period. The name is thought to derive from the Latin word "honestus," which means "honorable" or "virtuous," suggesting that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive surname to denote someone with an upright or moral character.

One of the earliest known references to the name Onesti can be found in a document dated 1289, which mentions a certain Guglielmo Onesti, a nobleman from the town of Asti in Piedmont. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the late 13th century.

In the 14th century, the name appears in several historical records from the city of Turin, where a family of merchants and bankers bearing the surname Onesti was prominent. Notable members of this family include Giovanni Onesti (1325-1397), a successful trader who was involved in the city's wool industry, and his son, Francesco Onesti (1362-1428), who served as a councilor in the municipal government.

The name Onesti also has connections to the nearby region of Liguria, where it is believed to have originated from the placename Onesti, a small village in the province of Savona. This suggests that some branches of the family may have taken their name from this location.

In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Onesti was Pietro Onesti (1498-1573), a humanist scholar and poet from Verona. His works, which included lyric poetry and translations of classical texts, were widely acclaimed during his lifetime and contributed to the cultural renaissance of the Italian Renaissance.

Another prominent individual bearing the name Onesti was Girolamo Onesti (1567-1649), a Jesuit priest and theologian from Bologna. He was a prolific writer and authored several influential works on moral theology and canon law, which were widely studied in Catholic seminaries throughout Europe.

During the 17th century, the name Onesti spread to other parts of Italy, including the region of Tuscany, where a noble family bearing the name held lands and estates. One notable member of this branch was Ottavio Onesti (1612-1682), a military commander who served in the armies of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and participated in various campaigns against rival Italian states.

In the 19th century, Giuseppe Onesti (1811-1885), a lawyer and politician from Naples, played a significant role in the Italian unification movement, serving as a member of the Sardinian parliament and advocating for the creation of a unified Italian state under the House of Savoy.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Onesti, demonstrating its longstanding presence in various regions of Italy and its association with diverse fields, ranging from commerce and politics to scholarship and military service.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Onesti

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

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

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

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