Defonta
A short form of the French phrase "Dieu fortifie," meaning "God strengthens."
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Defonta. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Defonta today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Defonta births was 1993 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Defonta. 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 Defonta. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1993
6 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
1993 SSA rank
#7,852
Tracked since 1993
Popularity
Defonta: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Defonta 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 Defonta during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Defonta
The name Defonta is an ancient moniker with roots stretching back to the early days of the Etruscan civilization in what is now modern-day Italy. Derived from the Etruscan words "de" meaning "from" and "fonta" meaning "spring" or "source," the name was originally bestowed upon children born near natural springs or bodies of water.
Records of the name's usage can be found in various Etruscan inscriptions and artifacts dating back to the 6th century BCE. One of the earliest known individuals bearing the name was Defonta Velthuri, an Etruscan nobleman and landowner who lived in the city of Veii during the 5th century BCE.
As the Etruscan civilization gradually assimilated into the Roman Republic, the name Defonta was adopted by some Roman families, although its usage remained relatively rare. One notable figure from this period was Defonta Cornelius, a Roman senator and military commander who served under Julius Caesar during the Gallic Wars in the 1st century BCE.
During the Middle Ages, the name Defonta experienced a resurgence in popularity among certain Christian communities in Italy and France. It was believed that the name's association with water held symbolic significance, representing the cleansing and regenerative power of baptism.
One of the most renowned individuals bearing the name during this time was Defonta of Spoleto, an Italian nun and mystic who lived in the 11th century. She was renowned for her piety and is said to have performed several miracles during her lifetime.
In the 15th century, a Spanish explorer named Defonta de Mendoza accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. De Mendoza went on to become one of the first European settlers in the Caribbean, establishing a settlement on the island of Hispaniola.
Another notable figure was Defonta Galilei, the younger brother of the famous astronomer Galileo Galilei. Born in 1591, Defonta followed in his brother's footsteps and pursued a career in mathematics and astronomy, making several contributions to the field during his lifetime.
While the name Defonta has fallen out of common usage in modern times, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of historical names, carrying with it the echoes of ancient civilizations and the enduring connection between humanity and the natural world.
People
Defonta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Defonta 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
Defonta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Defonta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Defonta 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Defonta a common name?
We classify Defonta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Defonta most popular?
The single biggest year for Defonta was 1993, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Defonta is about 32 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 Defonta in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Defonta a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Defonta 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 Defonta still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Defonta 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 Defonta 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 share the name Defonta?
You can see how many people have the name Defonta on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.