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

Pasta, 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 Pasta surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pasta in America

Pasta is the 114424th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pasta surname appeared 153 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 Pasta.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pasta 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 Pasta

The surname PASTA has its origins in Italy, dating back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated as an occupational name for someone who made or sold pasta, which was a staple food in many parts of the country.

The name is derived from the Italian word "pasta," which itself comes from the Latin word "pasta," meaning a dough-like mixture or paste. In the early days, it was likely spelled in various ways, such as "Pastaro," "Pastarino," or "Pastini," reflecting the regional dialects and variations in spelling conventions.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 14th-century Florentine tax records, where a certain "Giovanni di Pasta" is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use among the merchant and artisan classes in cities like Florence at that time.

In the 15th century, a family by the name of Pasta is mentioned in the records of the city of Genoa, where they were involved in the pasta-making trade. Interestingly, the renowned explorer Christopher Columbus, who hailed from Genoa, had a close friend named Battista Pasta, who accompanied him on some of his voyages.

During the Renaissance period, several notable individuals with the surname PASTA emerged. One such figure was Tommaso Pasta (1550-1625), a renowned painter from the city of Verona, known for his religious works and frescoes adorning churches across northern Italy.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Giovanni Battista Pasta (1670-1732), a Baroque composer and violinist from Bologna, whose compositions were widely performed in the courts and concert halls of Europe during his lifetime.

In the 19th century, Giuseppe Pasta (1815-1879), a lawyer and politician from Naples, played a prominent role in the Italian unification movement known as the Risorgimento. He was a close associate of the revolutionary leader Giuseppe Garibaldi and served as a member of the first Italian parliament after unification.

Other notable individuals with the surname PASTA include the Italian sculptor Vincenzo Pasta (1836-1912), whose works can be found in museums and public spaces across Italy, and the modern-day Italian writer and journalist Renato Pasta (born 1962), known for his novels and essays on contemporary Italian culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pasta

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

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

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

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