2000
#39,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 530
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Tolosa
An Italian surname derived from the place name Tolosa, referring to a person from the city of Toulouse, France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 906 Americans carry the last name Tolosa. That puts it at #31,403 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 378,316 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tolosa 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
906
1 in 378,316
Census rank
#31,403
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
790
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 790 bearers of the surname Tolosa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 31403rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolosa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 48.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (33.2%) and White (8.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tolosa
The surname TOLOSA originated in Spain, specifically in the Basque region. It is believed to have derived from the name of the city of Tolosa, located in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Country. The name Tolosa is thought to come from the Latin words "tola" and "osa," meaning "fertile land" or "fertile valley."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname TOLOSA can be traced back to the 11th century in various medieval documents and records from the Basque region. One notable early reference is found in the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript that mentions a person named Sancho Tolosa, a knight from the city of Tolosa.
In the 13th century, there are records of a noble family called the Tolosas, who were prominent landowners in the area around the city of Tolosa. One member of this family, Juan Pérez de Tolosa, was a prominent military leader during the Reconquista, the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.
As the name spread beyond the Basque region, it took on various spellings, such as Tolossa and Tholosa. One famous bearer of this name was the French military leader and diplomat, Louis de Tolosa (1506-1568), who served as the governor of Languedoc and played a crucial role in the French Wars of Religion.
Another notable individual with the surname TOLOSA was the Spanish painter and engraver, Juan de Tolosa (1611-1670), who was known for his religious paintings and engravings. His works can be found in various churches and museums throughout Spain.
In the 19th century, a prominent TOLOSA was Fermín Tola Mendoza (1805-1865), a Peruvian historian, and writer who made significant contributions to the study of Peruvian history and culture.
Additionally, the surname TOLOSA has been associated with several place names, such as Tolosa in the Basque Country, as well as Tolosa in Mexico, which was named after the Spanish city. The name has also been found in various forms in other Spanish-speaking countries, reflecting the widespread influence of the name's Iberian origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tolosa
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolosa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 48.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (33.2%) and White (8.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Tolosa 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 Tolosa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino48.9% · 386
- Asian and Pacific Islander33.2% · 262
- White8.1% · 64
- Black or African American5.2% · 41
- Two or more races3.4% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tolosa
Tolosa 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
#30,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 758
+228 bearers (+43.0%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Up 8,376 places
2020
#31,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 790
+32 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Down 668 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #39,111 | 530 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #30,735 | 758 | 0.26 | +228 bearers (+43.0%) | Up 8,376 places |
| 2020 | #31,403 | 790 | 0.26 | +32 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 668 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 Tolosa 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 | #30,735 | #31,403 | -2.2% |
| Count | 758 | 790 | 4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.26 | 0.26 | 1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tolosa bearers went from 758 to 790 (+4.2% change). The surname moved down 668 positions in the national ranking, going from #30,735 to #31,403.
FAQ
Tolosa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tolosa?
Name Census estimates that about 906 living Americans carry the surname Tolosa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 378,316 residents.
How common is Tolosa?
Tolosa ranks #31,403 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.26 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 790 people with the surname Tolosa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (906), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.26 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 Tolosa.
Has Tolosa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tolosa went from 758 recorded bearers to 790. That is an increase of 32 (+4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #30,735 to #31,403.
What does the Census say about the background of Tolosa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tolosa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 48.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (33.2%) and White (8.1%). 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 Tolosa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.9% (386 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tolosa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (48.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (33.2%), White (8.1%). 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 Tolosa (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 Tolosa mean?
An Italian surname derived from the place name Tolosa, referring to a person from the city of Toulouse, France. 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 Tolosa (0.26 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 surname Tolosa?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.