2000
#50,801
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 386
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Patera
An Italian surname derived from the Latin word for a bowl or shallow dish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 485 Americans carry the last name Patera. That puts it at #52,889 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 706,710 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Patera 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
485
1 in 706,710
Census rank
#52,889
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
423
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 423 bearers of the surname Patera in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 52889th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Patera, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Patera
The surname Patera is of Italian origin, believed to have originated in the region of Veneto in northern Italy. Etymologically, it is derived from the Italian word "patera," which means "chalice" or "shallow bowl." This suggests that the name might have been initially associated with an occupation or trade related to the production or use of such vessels.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Patera can be traced back to the late 13th century in various Italian municipal records. One notable mention is found in the Paduan Chronicles, a historical account of events in the city of Padua, which references a certain Giacomo Patera in 1287.
During the Renaissance period, the name appeared in several notable works of literature and art. For instance, the Italian poet and humanist Francesco Petrarca, better known as Petrarch (1304-1374), mentions a "Ser Patera" in one of his epistles. Additionally, a fresco depicting a member of the Patera family can be found in the Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in Venice, dating back to the 15th century.
Over the centuries, several individuals bearing the surname Patera have achieved prominence in various fields. One notable example is Giovanni Patera (1555-1618), an Italian jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the Republic of Venice. Another is Matteo Patera (1634-1718), a Venetian architect who contributed to the design of several significant buildings, including the Church of San Stae in Venice.
In the realm of literature, Antonio Patera (1748-1820), an Italian poet and playwright, gained recognition for his works in the Venetian dialect. His contemporary, Giacomo Patera (1756-1835), was a renowned composer and music theorist who served as the maestro di cappella at St. Mark's Basilica in Venice.
Crossing over to the New World, the name Patera can be found among early Italian immigrants to the United States. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Giuseppe Patera (1805-1875), who settled in New York City in the mid-19th century and worked as a merchant.
Throughout its history, the surname Patera has maintained a strong presence in Italy, particularly in the Veneto region, where it originated. While its exact origins remain shrouded in the mists of time, the name's connection to the Italian word "patera" and its association with notable individuals in various fields have contributed to its enduring legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Patera
Among Census respondents with the surname Patera, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Patera 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 Patera surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 378
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 20
- Two or more races3.3% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 5
- Black or African American0.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Patera
Patera appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#50,362
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 415
+29 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Up 439 places
2020
#52,889
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 423
+8 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 2,527 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #50,801 | 386 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #50,362 | 415 | 0.14 | +29 bearers (+7.5%) | Up 439 places |
| 2020 | #52,889 | 423 | 0.14 | +8 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 2,527 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 Patera 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 | #50,362 | #52,889 | -5.0% |
| Count | 415 | 423 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.14 | 1.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Patera bearers went from 415 to 423 (+1.9% change). The surname moved down 2,527 positions in the national ranking, going from #50,362 to #52,889.
FAQ
Patera surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Patera?
Name Census estimates that about 485 living Americans carry the surname Patera. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 706,710 residents.
How common is Patera?
Patera ranks #52,889 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 423 people with the surname Patera. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (485), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Patera.
Has Patera become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Patera went from 415 recorded bearers to 423. That is an increase of 8 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #50,362 to #52,889.
What does the Census say about the background of Patera?
Among Census respondents with the surname Patera, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Patera in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (378 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Patera appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Hispanic (4.7%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Patera (2000, 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 Patera mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Latin word for a bowl or shallow dish. 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 Patera (0.14 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 common is the surname Patera?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Patera, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.