2000
#19,313
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,298
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.48
Rare Last name
Agosta
Derived from a place name in Sicily, Italy, likely referring to someone who originated from that area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,488 Americans carry the last name Agosta. That puts it at #20,657 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 230,346 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Agosta 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
1.5K
1 in 230,346
Census rank
#20,657
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,298 bearers of the surname Agosta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20657th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Agosta, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.7%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Agosta
The surname AGOSTA has its origins in Italy, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Italian word "agosto," meaning "August," which suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone born or associated with the month of August.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical documents from the regions of Sicily and Calabria in southern Italy. It is possible that the name originated as a nickname or a reference to a person's birth month or a significant event that occurred during the month of August.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name AGOSTA was Giovanni Agosta, a Sicilian merchant who lived in the late 13th century. Records show that he traded goods between Sicily and the Italian mainland, contributing to the economic prosperity of the region.
In the 15th century, the AGOSTA surname appeared in the records of the city of Naples, where a family of that name owned a prosperous vineyard and produced highly regarded wines. Domenico Agosta, born in 1432, was a renowned winemaker whose products were sought after by the nobility of the time.
During the Renaissance period, the AGOSTA name gained prominence in the arts. Pietro Agosta, a Sicilian painter born in 1501, was renowned for his religious works and frescoes adorning churches throughout southern Italy.
In the 18th century, Vincenzo Agosta, a lawyer and political thinker from Calabria, became a prominent figure in the Italian Enlightenment. His writings on natural rights and the separation of powers influenced the development of modern political thought.
Another notable figure was Maria Agosta, a 19th-century poet and activist from Sicily, who advocated for women's rights and education. Her poems and essays challenged the societal norms of the time and inspired generations of women writers.
Throughout its history, the AGOSTA surname has been associated with various professions and achievements, from merchants and artists to intellectuals and activists, leaving an indelible mark on Italian culture and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Agosta
Among Census respondents with the surname Agosta, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.7%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Agosta 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 Agosta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.2% · 1,080
- Hispanic or Latino13.7% · 178
- Two or more races1.5% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 11
- Black or African American0.7% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Agosta
Agosta 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
#21,686
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,201
-97 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Down 2,373 places
2020
#20,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,298
+97 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Up 1,029 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,313 | 1,298 | 0.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,686 | 1,201 | 0.41 | -97 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 2,373 places |
| 2020 | #20,657 | 1,298 | 0.43 | +97 bearers (+8.1%) | Up 1,029 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 Agosta 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 | #21,686 | #20,657 | 4.7% |
| Count | 1,201 | 1,298 | 8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.41 | 0.43 | 5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Agosta bearers went from 1,201 to 1,298 (+8.1% change). The surname moved up 1,029 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,686 to #20,657.
FAQ
Agosta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Agosta?
Name Census estimates that about 1,488 living Americans carry the surname Agosta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 230,346 residents.
How common is Agosta?
Agosta ranks #20,657 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.43 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 1,298 people with the surname Agosta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,488), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.43 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 Agosta.
Has Agosta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Agosta went from 1,201 recorded bearers to 1,298. That is an increase of 97 (+8.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #21,686 to #20,657.
What does the Census say about the background of Agosta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Agosta, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.7%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Agosta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (1,080 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Agosta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.2%), Hispanic (13.7%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Agosta (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 Agosta mean?
Derived from a place name in Sicily, Italy, likely referring to someone who originated from that area. 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 Agosta (0.43 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 common is the surname Agosta?
Want to know how common the surname Agosta is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.