2000
#10,641
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,761
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Trotta
An Italian occupational surname referring to a wine presser or grape treader.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,994 Americans carry the last name Trotta. That puts it at #11,526 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,480 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trotta 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
3.0K
1 in 114,480
Census rank
#11,526
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,611 bearers of the surname Trotta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11526th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trotta, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trotta
The surname Trotta has its origins in Italy, specifically in the regions of Campania and Calabria, dating back to the early medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Latin word "trottare," meaning "to trot" or "to amble," likely referring to a person's gait or occupation related to horses.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico Barese," a collection of historical documents from the 12th century, where a certain "Trotta de Baro" is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already established in the southern Italian region of Puglia during that time.
In the 14th century, a notable figure by the name of Trotta Caracciolo (1320-1390) was mentioned in the annals of the Kingdom of Naples. He was a prominent nobleman and military commander who served under King Robert the Wise.
The name also appears in historical records from Sicily, where a wealthy landowner named Vincenzo Trotta (1570-1649) owned vast estates and vineyards in the area around Siracusa.
During the Renaissance period, the Trotta family produced several notable artists and intellectuals, including the painter Cesare Trotta (1548-1628) from Apulia, who was known for his religious works and portraits of nobility.
In the 18th century, the Neapolitan philosopher and mathematician Niccolò Trotta (1720-1791) gained recognition for his contributions to the field of mathematics and his teachings at the University of Naples.
Another noteworthy figure was the Italian writer and poet Vincenzo Trotta (1795-1867), who was born in Calabria and is remembered for his poetic works and literary criticism.
The surname Trotta has also been associated with various place names, such as the town of Trottolino in Calabria and the village of Trottacosta in Campania, further indicating its deep roots in southern Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trotta
Among Census respondents with the surname Trotta, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Trotta 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 Trotta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 2,366
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 158
- Two or more races2.1% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 19
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trotta
Trotta 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
#10,792
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,955
+194 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 151 places
2020
#11,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,611
-344 bearers (-11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 734 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,641 | 2,761 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,792 | 2,955 | 1.00 | +194 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 151 places |
| 2020 | #11,526 | 2,611 | 0.87 | -344 bearers (-11.6%) | Down 734 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 Trotta 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 | #10,792 | #11,526 | -6.8% |
| Count | 2,955 | 2,611 | -11.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.87 | -12.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trotta bearers went from 2,955 to 2,611 (-11.6% change). The surname moved down 734 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,792 to #11,526.
FAQ
Trotta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trotta?
Name Census estimates that about 2,994 living Americans carry the surname Trotta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,480 residents.
How common is Trotta?
Trotta ranks #11,526 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 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 2,611 people with the surname Trotta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,994), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 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 Trotta.
Has Trotta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trotta went from 2,955 recorded bearers to 2,611. That is a decrease of 344 (-11.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,792 to #11,526.
What does the Census say about the background of Trotta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trotta, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Trotta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (2,366 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trotta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (6.1%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Trotta (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 Trotta mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a wine presser or grape treader. 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 Trotta (0.87 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 surname Trotta?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.