2000
#10,634
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,764
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Damiano
From the Italian surname, derived from the Latin name Damianus, ultimately from the Greek name Damianos meaning "to tame, subdue."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,062 Americans carry the last name Damiano. That puts it at #11,306 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,938 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Damiano 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
3.1K
1 in 111,938
Census rank
#11,306
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,670 bearers of the surname Damiano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11306th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Damiano, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Damiano
The surname Damiano has its origins in Italy, and it is derived from the Late Latin name Damianus. This name is believed to have been derived from the Greek name Damianos, which means "to tame" or "to subdue."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Damiano can be traced back to the 12th century in various regions of Italy, particularly in the central and southern parts of the country. It is believed that the name may have been initially adopted by individuals who were either born on St. Damian's feast day or had a particular devotion to the saint.
In the 13th century, the surname Damiano appears in several medieval records and manuscripts, including the Codice Diplomatico Bresciano, which is a collection of documents from the city of Brescia, located in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. One notable individual from this time period was Damiano Parmense, a renowned jurist and legal scholar who lived from 1220 to 1284.
During the Renaissance period, the name Damiano gained further prominence, with several individuals bearing the surname making significant contributions in various fields. One such individual was Damiano da Ostra, a 15th-century architect and engineer who was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings in the Marche region of central Italy.
In the 16th century, the name Damiano was associated with the Venetian noble family of the same name. One prominent member was Damiano Mazza, a Venetian diplomat and statesman who lived from 1536 to 1602.
Another notable figure was Damiano Damiani, an Italian film director and screenwriter who lived from 1922 to 2013. His films, such as "A Bullet for the General" and "Confessions of a Police Captain," explored themes of social justice and political corruption.
Throughout history, the surname Damiano has also been associated with various place names and locations in Italy. For example, the town of Damiano d'Asti in the Piedmont region is named after the saint, and the surname may have originated from individuals hailing from this area.
Overall, the surname Damiano has a rich historical lineage, with its origins rooted in the Italian peninsula. It has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including scholars, artists, and statesmen, reflecting the cultural and linguistic diversity of Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Damiano
Among Census respondents with the surname Damiano, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Damiano 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 Damiano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 2,379
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 179
- Two or more races2.7% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 29
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Damiano
Damiano 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
#11,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,880
+116 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 406 places
2020
#11,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,670
-210 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 266 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,634 | 2,764 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,040 | 2,880 | 0.98 | +116 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 406 places |
| 2020 | #11,306 | 2,670 | 0.89 | -210 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 266 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 Damiano 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 | #11,040 | #11,306 | -2.4% |
| Count | 2,880 | 2,670 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.89 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Damiano bearers went from 2,880 to 2,670 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 266 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,040 to #11,306.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Damiano
FAQ
Damiano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Damiano?
Name Census estimates that about 3,062 living Americans carry the surname Damiano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,938 residents.
How common is Damiano?
Damiano ranks #11,306 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,670 people with the surname Damiano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,062), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Damiano.
Has Damiano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Damiano went from 2,880 recorded bearers to 2,670. That is a decrease of 210 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,040 to #11,306.
What does the Census say about the background of Damiano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Damiano, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Damiano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (2,379 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Damiano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Hispanic (6.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Damiano (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 Damiano mean?
From the Italian surname, derived from the Latin name Damianus, ultimately from the Greek name Damianos meaning "to tame, subdue." 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 Damiano (0.89 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 Damiano?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Damiano, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.