2000
#2,565
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,966
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.81
Uncommon Last name
Damico
An Italian surname derived from the personal name Damicus, which is of uncertain origin, possibly meaning "to tame."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,107 Americans carry the last name Damico. That puts it at #2,856 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,297 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Damico 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Damico with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,297
Census rank
#2,856
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,302 bearers of the surname Damico in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2856th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Damico, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Damico
The surname DAMICO originated in Italy, with its earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Italian phrase "d'Amico," which translates to "of a friend" or "friend's." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive surname given to someone who was a close friend or companion.
The earliest known bearer of the surname DAMICO was Guido d'Amico, a nobleman from the town of Messina in Sicily, who lived in the late 12th century. Records from this period show that the name was also present in other parts of Sicily and southern Italy, such as Palermo and Naples.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various medieval documents and records, including the Codice Diplomatico Barese, a collection of charters and diplomas from the city of Bari in Apulia. One notable individual from this time was Niccolò d'Amico, a merchant from Bari who traded extensively with the Byzantine Empire.
During the Renaissance period, the DAMICO surname became more widespread across Italy. One prominent figure was Antonio d'Amico, a sculptor and architect from Palermo who lived in the 15th century and contributed to the construction of several churches and palaces in his native city.
As the name spread throughout Italy, it also took on various regional spellings and variations, such as D'Amico, Damicis, and Damici. One of the earliest recorded instances of the DAMICO spelling was in a 16th-century census record from the town of Montalto Uffugo in Calabria, where a family bearing the name was listed.
In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the DAMICO surname was Giuseppe d'Amico, a Sicilian painter and engraver who was active in Naples and Rome. His works can be found in various churches and museums throughout Italy.
Another prominent figure with the DAMICO surname was Carlo d'Amico, an Italian poet and writer who lived in the 19th century. Born in Naples in 1807, he gained recognition for his romantic poetry and literary works, contributing to the cultural and literary movements of his time.
Over the centuries, the DAMICO surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, writers, scholars, and even military figures. While the name originated in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora, with communities bearing the surname found in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Damico
Among Census respondents with the surname Damico, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Damico 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 Damico surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 11,281
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 619
- Two or more races2.0% · 249
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 76
- Black or African American0.5% · 63
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Damico
Damico 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
#2,752
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,109
+143 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 4.44
Rank movement Down 187 places
2020
#2,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,302
-807 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 4.12
Rank movement Down 104 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,565 | 12,966 | 4.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,752 | 13,109 | 4.44 | +143 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 187 places |
| 2020 | #2,856 | 12,302 | 4.12 | -807 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 104 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 Damico 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 | #2,752 | #2,856 | -3.8% |
| Count | 13,109 | 12,302 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 4.44 | 4.12 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Damico bearers went from 13,109 to 12,302 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 104 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,752 to #2,856.
FAQ
Damico surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Damico?
Name Census estimates that about 14,107 living Americans carry the surname Damico. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,297 residents.
How common is Damico?
Damico ranks #2,856 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,302 people with the surname Damico. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,107), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Damico.
Has Damico become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Damico went from 13,109 recorded bearers to 12,302. That is a decrease of 807 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,752 to #2,856.
What does the Census say about the background of Damico?
Among Census respondents with the surname Damico, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Damico in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (11,281 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Damico appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (5.0%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Damico (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 Damico mean?
An Italian surname derived from the personal name Damicus, which is of uncertain origin, possibly meaning "to tame." 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 Damico (4.12 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 last name Damico?
Want to know how many people have the surname Damico? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.