2000
#13,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,098
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Scotti
An Italian surname referring to a person from Scotland or of Scottish descent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,329 Americans carry the last name Scotti. That puts it at #14,190 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 147,168 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scotti 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
2.3K
1 in 147,168
Census rank
#14,190
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,031 bearers of the surname Scotti in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14190th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scotti, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scotti
The surname Scotti originated in Italy, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "Scotti," which means "Scots" or "Scottish people." This suggests that the name was initially given to individuals who had connections with Scotland or had Scottish ancestry.
In ancient times, the name Scotti referred to the inhabitants of Ireland and the western coastal regions of modern-day Scotland. The Romans used this term to describe the people living in these areas. Over time, as migration patterns shifted, the name became associated with individuals from Scotland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Scotti can be found in the Domesday Book, a medieval census commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Scotti, indicating their presence in England during the Norman conquest.
During the Middle Ages, the Scotti family played a significant role in the history of Italy. Notable members include Vincenzo Scotti (1544-1619), an Italian politician and diplomat who served as the governor of Piacenza, and Giulio Clemente Scotti (1602-1669), an Italian Catholic cardinal and theologian.
In the Renaissance period, the name Scotti gained prominence through the works of Andrea Scotti (1435-1493), an Italian architect and sculptor known for his contributions to the Certosa di Pavia, a renowned monastery near Milan.
Another notable figure was Ercole Scotti (1591-1645), an Italian painter and engraver from Ferrara, who was known for his religious artworks and illustrations for books.
In the 18th century, Camillo Scotti (1744-1825) was an Italian composer and music theorist who made significant contributions to the development of the classical music tradition.
Throughout history, the surname Scotti has also been associated with various places and locations. For instance, the town of Scotti in the province of Messina, Sicily, is believed to have derived its name from individuals bearing this surname who once lived or held property in the area.
It is worth noting that the name Scotti has undergone various spelling variations over time, including Scot, Scots, and Scotti. These variations reflect the influence of different languages and regional dialects on the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scotti
Among Census respondents with the surname Scotti, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Scotti 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 Scotti surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 1,781
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 98
- Black or African American3.5% · 72
- Two or more races2.8% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scotti
Scotti 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
#13,491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,252
+154 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 165 places
2020
#14,190
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,031
-221 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 699 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,326 | 2,098 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,491 | 2,252 | 0.76 | +154 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 165 places |
| 2020 | #14,190 | 2,031 | 0.68 | -221 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 699 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 Scotti 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 | #13,491 | #14,190 | -5.2% |
| Count | 2,252 | 2,031 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.68 | -10.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scotti bearers went from 2,252 to 2,031 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 699 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,491 to #14,190.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Scotti
FAQ
Scotti surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scotti?
Name Census estimates that about 2,329 living Americans carry the surname Scotti. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 147,168 residents.
How common is Scotti?
Scotti ranks #14,190 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,031 people with the surname Scotti. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,329), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Scotti.
Has Scotti become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scotti went from 2,252 recorded bearers to 2,031. That is a decrease of 221 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,491 to #14,190.
What does the Census say about the background of Scotti?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scotti, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (3.5%). 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 Scotti in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (1,781 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scotti appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Hispanic (4.8%), Black (3.5%). 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 Scotti (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 Scotti mean?
An Italian surname referring to a person from Scotland or of Scottish descent. 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 Scotti (0.68 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 Americans have the surname Scotti?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.