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

Tosto, 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 Tosto surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tosto in America

Tosto is the 37288th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tosto surname appeared 598 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Tosto.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tosto 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 Tosto

The surname Tosto is believed to have originated in Italy, with the earliest known references dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Italian word "tosto," which means "quickly" or "soon," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who was quick-witted or had a speedy temperament.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Tosto surname can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Barese, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bari, Italy. In 1180, a nobleman named Riccardo Tosto is mentioned as a witness to a legal transaction.

During the medieval period, the Tosto family was prominent in the region of Abruzzo, particularly in the town of Teramo. Several members of the family held positions of influence, including Matteo Tosto, who served as a magistrate in Teramo in the late 13th century.

In the 15th century, a branch of the Tosto family settled in Naples, where they became influential merchants and landowners. One notable member was Gian Battista Tosto, a wealthy banker born in 1472, who financed several military campaigns for the Kingdom of Naples.

The Tosto surname can also be found in historical records from other parts of Italy, such as Tuscany and Lombardy. In the 16th century, a painter named Girolamo Tosto was active in the city of Siena, where he produced several altarpieces for local churches.

Another notable figure was Giambattista Tosto, a prominent jurist and legal scholar from Bologna, born in 1668. He authored several influential treatises on Roman law and served as a professor at the University of Bologna.

As the Tosto family spread throughout Italy over the centuries, variations in spelling emerged, including Tosti, Toste, and Tostin. Some of these variations may have been influenced by regional dialects or linguistic changes over time.

While the Tosto surname has its roots in Italy, it has since been carried to other parts of the world through emigration. However, the earliest and most significant historical references to the name can be traced back to its Italian origins, spanning several centuries and encompassing various professions and social strata.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tosto

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

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

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

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