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

Porta, 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 Porta surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Porta in America

Porta is the 18766th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Porta surname appeared 1,461 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Porta.

We can also compare 2010 data for Porta 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 Porta

The surname Porta originates from Italy, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Italian word "porta," meaning "door" or "gate," suggesting that the name was likely given to someone who lived near a town gate or worked as a gatekeeper.

In medieval times, surnames were often occupational or descriptive, reflecting a person's trade or physical characteristics. The name Porta may have been used to identify individuals who were gatekeepers or lived near a prominent gate in a town or city.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Porta can be found in the Florentine Priorista, a record of the names of the members of the Priori delle Arti, the governing council of Florence, in 1282. The name is listed as "Porta," indicating its use as a surname during that time period.

In the 14th century, the name Porta appeared in the Estimo, a tax record from the Republic of Venice. This document provides valuable insight into the distribution of the surname in various parts of the Venetian territory during that era.

One notable figure from history with the surname Porta was Giovanni Battista della Porta (1535-1615), an Italian scholar, playwright, and scientist. He is best known for his work in the fields of natural magic, optics, and cryptography.

Another historical figure of note is Gian Vincenzo Gravina Porta (1664-1718), an Italian jurist and literary critic. He played a significant role in the development of the Arcadian Academy, a literary society dedicated to the revival of classical Italian poetry.

In the 16th century, the Porta family was prominent in Naples, and one member, Giambattista della Porta (1535-1615), was a renowned scholar and scientist who made significant contributions to the study of optics and cryptography.

The name Porta has also been associated with various place names throughout Italy, such as Porta Romana, a historic gate in Florence, and Porta Venezia, a gate in Milan. These place names may have influenced the development of the surname in certain regions.

Other notable individuals with the surname Porta include Giambattista Porta (1776-1867), an Italian painter and engraver, and Giacomo della Porta (1532-1602), an Italian architect who worked on several notable buildings in Rome, including the Church of the Gesù.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Porta

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

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

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

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