2000
#4,013
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.01
Rare Last name
Testa
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who manufactured clay pots or jars, derived from the Italian word "testa" meaning "head."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,698 Americans carry the last name Testa. That puts it at #4,543 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,406 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Testa 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Testa with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.7K
1 in 39,406
Census rank
#4,543
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,585 bearers of the surname Testa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4543rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Testa, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Testa
The surname Testa has its roots in Italy, originating from the Italian word "testa" which means "head." This surname likely emerged during the Middle Ages, when it was common for people to be identified by personal characteristics, occupations, or nicknames.
One possible explanation for the origin of this surname is that it was given to individuals who had a distinctive head shape or haircut. Alternatively, it could have been derived from an occupation related to the head, such as a helmet maker or a wig maker.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Testa can be found in the Codice Diplomatico della Lombardia Medievale, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. This document, dated to the 12th century, mentions a certain "Petrus Testa" from the town of Bergamo.
In the 13th century, the surname Testa appeared in the Libro degli Anniversari, a record of anniversaries and deaths in the city of Bologna. This record mentions a "Guidottus Testa" who passed away in 1265.
One notable bearer of the surname Testa was Niccolo Testa, a 14th-century Italian painter from the city of Pisa. His works can be found in various churches and museums throughout Italy.
Another prominent figure with this surname was Girolamo Testa, a 17th-century Italian engraver and painter. Born in 1619 in Rome, he is renowned for his etchings and paintings depicting historical and mythological scenes.
In the 18th century, a man named Giuseppe Testa was a influential architect and engineer from the city of Genoa. He is credited with designing several notable buildings and structures in Genoa, including the Palazzo Doria Tursi and the Ponte Monumentale.
The surname Testa also has ties to the town of Testa, located in the province of Potenza in southern Italy. This place name likely contributed to the spread of the surname in that region.
Over the centuries, variations of the surname Testa have emerged, such as Testai, Testali, and Testini. These variations often indicate regional or dialectal differences in pronunciation or spelling.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Testa
Among Census respondents with the surname Testa, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Testa 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 Testa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 6,801
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 505
- Two or more races2.2% · 168
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 70
- Black or African American0.4% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Testa
Testa 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
#4,084
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,694
+571 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 2.95
Rank movement Down 71 places
2020
#4,543
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,585
-1,109 bearers (-12.8%)
Per 100,000 2.54
Rank movement Down 459 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,013 | 8,123 | 3.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,084 | 8,694 | 2.95 | +571 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 71 places |
| 2020 | #4,543 | 7,585 | 2.54 | -1,109 bearers (-12.8%) | Down 459 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 Testa 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 | #4,084 | #4,543 | -11.2% |
| Count | 8,694 | 7,585 | -12.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.95 | 2.54 | -14.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Testa bearers went from 8,694 to 7,585 (-12.8% change). The surname moved down 459 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,084 to #4,543.
FAQ
Testa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Testa?
Name Census estimates that about 8,698 living Americans carry the surname Testa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,406 residents.
How common is Testa?
Testa ranks #4,543 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,585 people with the surname Testa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,698), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Testa.
Has Testa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Testa went from 8,694 recorded bearers to 7,585. That is a decrease of 1,109 (-12.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,084 to #4,543.
What does the Census say about the background of Testa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Testa, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Testa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (6,801 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Testa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (6.7%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Testa (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 Testa mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who manufactured clay pots or jars, derived from the Italian word "testa" meaning "head." 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 Testa (2.54 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 people have the last name Testa?
See how common the surname Testa is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.