2000
#10,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,838
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Villalta
A toponymic surname indicating someone from any of the various places named Villalta, meaning "high town" in Spanish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,827 Americans carry the last name Villalta. That puts it at #6,433 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,822 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Villalta 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
5.8K
1 in 58,822
Census rank
#6,433
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,081 bearers of the surname Villalta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6433rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Villalta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Villalta
The surname Villalta originated in Italy, with records tracing its earliest use to the 13th century. It is a toponymic name derived from the Italian word "villa," meaning a small town or village, and "alta," meaning high or elevated. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone living in a village situated at a higher elevation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Villalta name can be found in the Florentine tax records of the late 13th century, which mention a certain Guido di Villalta. Around the same time, the name appears in various documents from the regions of Tuscany and Umbria, indicating its prevalence in central Italy.
In the 14th century, a prominent family by the name of Villalta emerged in the city of Verona, and their legacy is documented in several chronicles and historical records from that period. One notable member of this family was Gherardo Villalta, a renowned jurist and statesman who served as a counselor to the Della Scala lords of Verona in the late 1300s.
Moving into the Renaissance era, the Villalta name gained further recognition with the birth of Antonio Villalta (1455-1529), a Venetian humanist and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of classical literature and philosophy. His works were widely circulated and influential during his time.
Another notable figure with the Villalta surname was Giacomo Villalta (1620-1688), a Venetian architect and engineer who designed several prominent buildings in the city, including the church of San Stae and the Palazzo Querini Stampalia.
In the 18th century, the Villalta name found its way to Spain, where a branch of the family settled in the region of Catalonia. One of the earliest recorded instances of this branch was Juan de Villalta (1725-1797), a successful merchant and landowner in Barcelona.
Throughout its history, the Villalta surname has also been associated with various place names and locations across Italy, such as Villalta di Gorizia in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, and Villalta d'Asti in Piedmont. These place names further reinforce the toponymic origin of the surname and its connection to specific villages or towns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Villalta
Among Census respondents with the surname Villalta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Villalta 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 Villalta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.9% · 4,821
- White4.3% · 218
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 14
- Black or African American0.3% · 13
- Two or more races0.2% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Villalta
Villalta 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
#7,112
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,704
+1,866 bearers (+65.8%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Up 3,296 places
2020
#6,433
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,081
+377 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Up 679 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,408 | 2,838 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,112 | 4,704 | 1.59 | +1,866 bearers (+65.8%) | Up 3,296 places |
| 2020 | #6,433 | 5,081 | 1.70 | +377 bearers (+8.0%) | Up 679 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 Villalta 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 | #7,112 | #6,433 | 9.5% |
| Count | 4,704 | 5,081 | 8.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.59 | 1.70 | 6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Villalta bearers went from 4,704 to 5,081 (+8.0% change). The surname moved up 679 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,112 to #6,433.
FAQ
Villalta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Villalta?
Name Census estimates that about 5,827 living Americans carry the surname Villalta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,822 residents.
How common is Villalta?
Villalta ranks #6,433 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,081 people with the surname Villalta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,827), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Villalta.
Has Villalta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Villalta went from 4,704 recorded bearers to 5,081. That is an increase of 377 (+8.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,112 to #6,433.
What does the Census say about the background of Villalta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Villalta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%). 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 Villalta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (4,821 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Villalta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.9%), White (4.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.3%). 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 Villalta (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 Villalta mean?
A toponymic surname indicating someone from any of the various places named Villalta, meaning "high town" in Spanish. 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 Villalta (1.70 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 Villalta?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Villalta on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.