Modesto
A masculine Spanish name meaning "modest" or "moderate".
Name Census estimates that about 1,784 living Americans carry the first name Modesto. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Modesto today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Modesto births was 1927 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Modesto. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.8K
~ 1 in 192,127 Americans
Peak year
1927
37 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,552
Tracked since 1908
Census
Modesto in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 5,682 people with the first name Modesto, which placed it at #3,600 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#3,600
National first-name rank
People counted
5.7K
5,682 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.9
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
91.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Modesto
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Modesto is Hispanic at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%) and White (2.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Modesto 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Modesto at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.2% · 5,180
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.4% · 309
- White2.5% · 140
- Black or African American0.5% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 13
- Two or more races0.2% · 11
Popularity
Modesto: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Modesto from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 295 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Modesto by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Modesto during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Modestos live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Texas, California, New York recorded the most babies named Modesto, while Colorado, New Mexico, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 251 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Modesto
The name Modesto originated from the Latin word "modestus," which means "modest" or "restrained." It was a common name used in ancient Rome, particularly during the Roman Republic and Empire periods.
The earliest recorded example of the name Modesto dates back to the 1st century AD, when it was mentioned in ancient Roman texts and inscriptions. One of the earliest notable individuals with this name was Modestus, a Roman governor of Judea in the 7th century AD.
In the Middle Ages, the name Modesto was commonly used in Italy and other parts of Europe influenced by Latin culture. During the Renaissance period, it gained popularity among Italian families, particularly in regions like Tuscany and Umbria.
One of the most famous historical figures named Modesto was Modesto Marini, an Italian sculptor from the 17th century (1619-1686). He was known for his works in marble and bronze, and his sculptures adorned numerous churches and palaces in Rome.
Another notable individual with this name was Modesto Omiste y Tinoco (1828-1890), a Peruvian politician and diplomat who served as the President of Peru from 1870 to 1872.
In the 19th century, the name Modesto was also popular in Spain and Latin American countries influenced by Spanish culture. One example was Modesto Lafuente (1806-1866), a Spanish historian and author known for his works on the history of Spain.
The name Modesto was also used in other parts of Europe, such as France, where it was sometimes spelled as Modeste. One notable figure was Modeste Gruny (1820-1905), a French sculptor and painter known for his works in the Romantic and Realist styles.
Additionally, Modesto Arregui Villagómez (1854-1933) was an Ecuadorian poet and politician who served as the President of Ecuador from 1912 to 1916.
People
Modesto + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Modesto as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Modesto: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Modesto?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,784 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Modesto going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 192,127 US residents.
Is Modesto a common name?
We classify Modesto as "Rare". It ranks above 93.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,551 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Modesto most popular?
The single biggest year for Modesto was 1927, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Modesto is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Modesto in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 5,682 people with the name Modesto, or 1.88 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,600 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Modesto in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Modesto?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Modesto appears almost entirely male. Of the 5,688 people counted with this name, 99.4% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Modesto?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Modesto is Hispanic at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%) and White (2.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Modesto most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Modesto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (5,180 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Modesto in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Modesto a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Modesto in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Modesto still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Modesto in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Modesto can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Modesto?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Modesto at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.