2010
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tinta
A Spanish surname meaning "ink" or "dye."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Tinta. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tinta 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Tinta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tinta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 47.7%. The next largest groups are White (42.2%) and Black (8.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tinta
The surname TINTA has its origins in Italy, where it first emerged in the early medieval period, around the 8th or 9th century AD. It is derived from the Italian word "tinta", meaning "dye" or "tint", suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked as a dyer or dealt in the dyeing trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name TINTA can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico Longobardo", a collection of documents from the Lombard period in Italy, dating back to the 8th century. In this record, a certain "Tinto de Verona" is mentioned, indicating that the name was already in use in the region of Verona at that time.
By the 11th century, the name had spread to other parts of Italy, as evidenced by its appearance in various historical records. In the "Chronicon Vulturnense", a chronicle from the Benedictine monastery of San Vincenzo al Volturno, a certain "Petrus Tinta" is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in the year 1059.
During the Renaissance period, the name TINTA gained some prominence, particularly in the city of Florence. One notable figure was Girolamo Tinta, a painter who lived from around 1525 to 1585. His works can still be found in several churches and galleries in Florence and its surrounding areas.
In the 17th century, the name TINTA made its way to the New World, as Italian immigrants began to settle in various parts of the Americas. One such individual was Antonio Tinta, a merchant who arrived in Mexico City in the 1630s and established a successful trading business.
Another notable figure was Giovanni Battista Tinta, a Italian-born architect and engineer who lived from 1681 to 1756. He worked extensively in the Kingdom of Naples, designing several churches and palaces, including the famous Palazzo Reale in Naples.
As the name TINTA spread throughout Italy and beyond, it also gave rise to various place names and regional variations in spelling. For example, the town of Tintori in the province of Salerno is believed to have derived its name from the Italian word "tintore", meaning "dyer", further reinforcing the connection between the surname TINTA and the dyeing trade.
Throughout history, the TINTA surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, merchants, architects, and more. While not as widespread as some other Italian surnames, it remains a testament to the rich cultural heritage and diverse occupations that shaped the Italian peninsula over many centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tinta
Among Census respondents with the surname Tinta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 47.7%. The next largest groups are White (42.2%) and Black (8.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Tinta 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 Tinta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino47.7% · 52
- White42.2% · 46
- Black or African American8.3% · 9
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tinta
Tinta appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-22 bearers (-16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,380 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-16.8%) | Down 20,380 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 Tinta 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 | #129,825 | #150,205 | -15.7% |
| Count | 131 | 109 | -16.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tinta bearers went from 131 to 109 (-16.8% change). The surname moved down 20,380 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #150,205.
FAQ
Tinta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tinta?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Tinta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Tinta?
Tinta ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 109 people with the surname Tinta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Tinta.
Has Tinta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tinta went from 131 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 22 (-16.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Tinta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tinta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 47.7%. The next largest groups are White (42.2%) and Black (8.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tinta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.7% (52 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tinta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (47.7%), White (42.2%), Black (8.3%). 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 Tinta (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 Tinta mean?
A Spanish surname meaning "ink" or "dye." 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 Tinta (0.04 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 Tinta?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.