2010
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Uta
A Japanese surname possibly derived from the name of a region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Uta. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Uta 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Uta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Uta, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 44.1%. The next largest groups are White (26.3%) and Two or More Races (24.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Uta
The surname Uta has its origins tracing back to India, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 9th century. It is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Uttar', meaning 'north', and was likely used to denote someone who hailed from the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent.
In the medieval period, the name Uta was found in various Sanskrit texts and inscriptions, particularly in regions like Gujarat and Rajasthan. One notable reference is in the Gwalior inscription of the 9th century, which mentions an individual named Uta Deva, a local chieftain.
As trade and migration patterns evolved, the name Uta spread beyond the Indian subcontinent. In the 12th century, records from the Silk Road trade routes mention merchants and travelers with the surname Uta, likely of Indian descent.
The name Uta also found its way into Europe through various historical interactions, such as the Crusades and the establishment of trade routes. One of the earliest recorded European instances of the name is in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a landowner named Uta in the county of Essex, England.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Uta. Uta Codex, a 9th-century illuminated manuscript from the Monastery of St. Gall in Switzerland, is named after its scribe, a monk named Uta. Uta Hagen (1919-2004) was a renowned American actress and theatre practitioner, known for her work in plays like "The Seagull" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?".
Other significant figures with the surname Uta include Uta Barth (born 1958), a contemporary American photographer, and Uta Frith (born 1941), a German developmental psychologist known for her research on autism and dyslexia. Additionally, Uta Ranke-Heinemann (1927-2021) was a German theologian and author who challenged the teachings of the Catholic Church.
The surname Uta, with its rich historical roots and diverse geographical spread, continues to be a part of many cultures and communities around the world, carrying with it the echoes of ancient trade routes, migrations, and cultural exchanges.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Uta
Among Census respondents with the surname Uta, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 44.1%. The next largest groups are White (26.3%) and Two or More Races (24.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Uta 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 Uta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander44.1% · 52
- White26.3% · 31
- Two or more races24.6% · 29
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Uta
Uta 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
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-5 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,062 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 7,062 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 Uta 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 | #136,449 | #143,511 | -5.2% |
| Count | 123 | 118 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Uta bearers went from 123 to 118 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 7,062 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #143,511.
FAQ
Uta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Uta?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Uta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Uta?
Uta ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Uta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Uta.
Has Uta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Uta went from 123 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Uta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Uta, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 44.1%. The next largest groups are White (26.3%) and Two or More Races (24.6%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Uta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.1% (52 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Uta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (44.1%), White (26.3%), Two or More Races (24.6%). 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 Uta (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 Uta mean?
A Japanese surname possibly derived from the name of a region. 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 Uta (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 people share the surname Uta?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.