2000
#18,389
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,388
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.51
Rare Last name
Liotta
An Italian surname derived from the Latin name Liutius.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,605 Americans carry the last name Liotta. That puts it at #19,340 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 213,554 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Liotta 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
1.6K
1 in 213,554
Census rank
#19,340
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,400 bearers of the surname Liotta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 19340th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Liotta, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Liotta
The surname Liotta originated in Italy, specifically in the region of Sicily. It dates back to the medieval period and is believed to have derived from the Italian word "liotta," which means "riot" or "tumult." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone who was known for their boisterous or unruly behavior.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Sicilian town of Sciacca, where a family bearing the name Liotta is mentioned in historical documents from the 13th century. The name may have also been influenced by the Sicilian word "liotta," which referred to a type of fishing net, indicating that some early bearers of the name may have been involved in the fishing industry.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Bartolomeo Liotta was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Palermo. His descendants continued to play an influential role in Sicilian affairs for several generations.
During the Renaissance period, the name appears in various records and manuscripts from across Italy. For example, in the 16th century, a scholar named Giovanni Liotta authored several treatises on philosophy and theology, which were widely read and debated in academic circles at the time.
Another notable individual with the surname Liotta was Vincenzo Liotta, a sculptor and architect who lived in the 17th century. He was renowned for his intricate and ornate works, many of which can still be seen adorning churches and public buildings throughout Sicily.
In the 19th century, the name gained further prominence with the birth of Pasquale Liotta (1836-1908), a celebrated Sicilian painter known for his vivid depictions of everyday life and landscapes. His works are now held in several prestigious art collections across Italy and Europe.
As the name spread beyond its Sicilian origins, it also took on various spellings and variations, such as Lioto, Liotta-Musso, and Liottu. However, the core meaning and heritage of the name remained rooted in its Italian and specifically Sicilian origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Liotta
Among Census respondents with the surname Liotta, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Liotta 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 Liotta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 1,244
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 95
- Two or more races2.3% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 7
- Black or African American0.4% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Liotta
Liotta 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
#19,266
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,407
+19 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Down 877 places
2020
#19,340
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,400
-7 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.47
Rank movement Down 74 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,389 | 1,388 | 0.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,266 | 1,407 | 0.48 | +19 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 877 places |
| 2020 | #19,340 | 1,400 | 0.47 | -7 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 74 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 Liotta 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 | #19,266 | #19,340 | -0.4% |
| Count | 1,407 | 1,400 | -0.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.48 | 0.47 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Liotta bearers went from 1,407 to 1,400 (-0.5% change). The surname moved down 74 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,266 to #19,340.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Liotta
FAQ
Liotta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Liotta?
Name Census estimates that about 1,605 living Americans carry the surname Liotta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 213,554 residents.
How common is Liotta?
Liotta ranks #19,340 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.47 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 1,400 people with the surname Liotta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,605), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.47 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 Liotta.
Has Liotta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Liotta went from 1,407 recorded bearers to 1,400. That is a decrease of 7 (-0.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #19,266 to #19,340.
What does the Census say about the background of Liotta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Liotta, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Liotta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (1,244 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Liotta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Hispanic (6.8%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Liotta (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 Liotta mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Latin name Liutius. 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 Liotta (0.47 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 Liotta?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Liotta on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.