2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Zatta
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "zatta" meaning raft or float.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Zatta. 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 Zatta 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 Zatta 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 Zatta, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Black (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zatta
The surname Zatta originates from Italy, specifically from the Venetian region. The earliest records of this surname date back to the late Middle Ages, around the 14th and 15th centuries. The name is likely derived from local dialects and may have connections to words used in the Venetian dialects or possibly from the Latin word "satio," meaning planting or sowing, suggesting a connection to agriculture or land cultivation.
The earliest historical references to the surname Zatta appear in Venetian and Northern Italian records. In these areas, the name was often documented in property records, municipal documents, and ecclesiastical registers. One of the earliest appearances is found in a deed from 1423 in Venice, where a Pietro Zatta is mentioned as a landowner, indicating the family's established status in the region.
Over time, the name Zatta may have been subject to various spellings and local modifications, though it mostly retained its phonetic consistency. In some manuscripts from the 15th century, variations such as Zati and Satta can be found. These variations were likely influenced by regional accents and the fluid nature of medieval orthography.
One notable bearer of the surname was Giovanni Zatta, born in 1448, who was a known merchant in Venetian territories and played a significant role in the local trade networks. Another prominent historical figure was Carlo Zatta, a 16th-century legal scholar reputed for his extensive work on Venetian law, born in 1532 and dying in 1592.
In the 18th century, Antonio Zatta, born in 1722 and died in 1804, gained fame as a cartographer and publisher. He is renowned for his detailed and beautifully illustrated maps, which remain highly valued by collectors and historians today. His work significantly contributed to the cartographic knowledge during that period.
By the 19th century, the name Zatta had spread to other parts of Italy and appeared in various census records. One of these records mentions Maria Zatta, born in 1821 and noted for her patronage of the arts in Milan, highlighting the continued prominence of the family in Italian society.
The surname Zatta, while not among the most common, has a rich history deeply entwined with the social, economic, and cultural fabric of Northern Italy. Its bearers have made noteworthy contributions across various fields, illustrating the enduring legacy of this Venetian name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zatta
Among Census respondents with the surname Zatta, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Black (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Zatta 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 Zatta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino8.5% · 10
- Black or African American5.9% · 7
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zatta
Zatta 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
+10 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,021 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 8,021 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 Zatta 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 | #151,532 | #143,511 | 5.3% |
| Count | 108 | 118 | 9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zatta bearers went from 108 to 118 (+9.3% change). The surname moved up 8,021 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #143,511.
FAQ
Zatta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zatta?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Zatta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Zatta?
Zatta 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 Zatta. 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 Zatta.
Has Zatta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zatta went from 108 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 10 (+9.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Zatta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zatta, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Black (5.9%). 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 Zatta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zatta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Hispanic (8.5%), Black (5.9%). 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 Zatta (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 Zatta mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "zatta" meaning raft or float. 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 Zatta (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 Zatta?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.