Decario
An uncommon modern name derived from the Italian name "Caro" meaning "dear one".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Decario. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Decario today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Decario births was 1993 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Decario. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Decario. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1993
5 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2013 SSA rank
#12,579
Tracked since 1993
Popularity
Decario: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Decario from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Decario 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 Decario during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Decario
The name Decario is believed to have its origins in the Latin language and can be traced back to ancient Roman times. It is derived from the Latin word "decarius," which referred to a military officer or leader in charge of ten soldiers or a small unit. This suggests that the name may have been initially used to denote a person's profession or position within the Roman military ranks.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Decario can be found in ancient Roman inscriptions and historical documents from the 1st century AD. It was during this time that the name likely gained popularity among Roman citizens, particularly those with military backgrounds or connections.
Throughout the centuries, the name Decario has appeared in various historical records and texts, though its usage remained relatively obscure compared to more common Roman names. In the 5th century, a Roman scholar and historian named Decario Marcellinus is known to have written a chronicle detailing the events of his time, providing a valuable account of the late Roman Empire.
Moving forward to the Middle Ages, the name Decario surfaced in a few instances across Europe. In the 9th century, a Frankish nobleman named Decario of Aquitaine was recorded as a prominent figure in the court of Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Emperor. Additionally, a Italian monk named Decario da Rimini, born in 1215, gained recognition for his contributions to the study of philosophy and theology during the 13th century.
As time progressed, the name Decario continued to appear sporadically throughout history, often associated with individuals from various backgrounds and professions. In the 16th century, Decario Boccalini, an Italian satirist and political writer, gained fame for his satirical work "Ragguagli di Parnaso" (News from Parnassus), which critiqued the social and political issues of his time.
Another notable figure bearing the name Decario was a 17th-century Italian painter named Decario Guercino, born in 1591. He was renowned for his baroque-style paintings and was particularly skilled in the use of chiaroscuro, a technique that involved contrasting light and dark tones to create a sense of depth and drama in his works.
While the name Decario has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, nobles, writers, and artists. Despite its rarity, the name holds a rich historical lineage, dating back to ancient Roman times and carrying connotations of leadership and military prowess.
People
Decario + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Decario as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Decario: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Decario?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Decario 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Decario a common name?
We classify Decario as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Decario most popular?
The single biggest year for Decario was 1993, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Decario is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Decario in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Decario a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Decario 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 Decario still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Decario 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 Decario 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Decario?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Decario at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.