2000
#8,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,561
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.32
Rare Last name
Danna
An Italian surname referring to someone who owned or managed a tannery or engaged in leather tanning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,148 Americans carry the last name Danna. That puts it at #8,705 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,631 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Danna 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
4.1K
1 in 82,631
Census rank
#8,705
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,617 bearers of the surname Danna in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8705th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Danna, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Danna
The surname DANNA is an Italian name with its origins dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the northern Italian region of Lombardy, specifically around the cities of Milan and Bergamo.
One theory suggests that the name DANNA is derived from the Latin word "donna," which means "lady" or "woman." It is possible that the name may have been initially used as a nickname or a descriptive term for a person associated with a woman of high social standing or nobility.
Another theory proposes that the name DANNA could have its roots in the Italian word "danna," which means "harm" or "damage." This could indicate that the name may have been initially given to someone who had suffered some form of injury or misfortune.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname DANNA can be traced back to the 13th century in various Italian historical documents and records. One notable example is the mention of a Piero DANNA in a legal document from the city of Milan, dated 1287.
In the 14th century, the name DANNA appeared in the Estimo, a census-like document from the Venetian Republic, which listed individuals and their properties for taxation purposes. This suggests that the name was well-established in the region during that time period.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname DANNA. For instance, Giovan Battista DANNA (1594-1668) was an Italian painter from the Baroque era, known for his religious works and frescoes in churches across northern Italy.
Another prominent figure was Prospero DANNA (1648-1720), an Italian architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Milan, including the Church of San Carlo al Corso and the Palazzo Clerici.
In the 19th century, Vincenzo DANNA (1810-1884) was an Italian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Italian Parliament during the early years of the Kingdom of Italy.
Toward the end of the 19th century, Girolamo DANNA (1858-1932) was an Italian composer and music educator who founded the Conservatory of Music in Bergamo and composed several operas and orchestral works.
Additionally, Antonio DANNA (1901-1978) was an Italian screenwriter and film director, best known for his collaborations with director Roberto Rossellini in the 1940s and 1950s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Danna
Among Census respondents with the surname Danna, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Danna 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 Danna surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 3,154
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 217
- Two or more races2.9% · 106
- Black or African American2.8% · 103
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Danna
Danna 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
#8,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,904
+343 bearers (+9.6%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Up 61 places
2020
#8,705
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,617
-287 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 247 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,519 | 3,561 | 1.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,458 | 3,904 | 1.32 | +343 bearers (+9.6%) | Up 61 places |
| 2020 | #8,705 | 3,617 | 1.21 | -287 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 247 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 Danna 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 | #8,458 | #8,705 | -2.9% |
| Count | 3,904 | 3,617 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.32 | 1.21 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Danna bearers went from 3,904 to 3,617 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 247 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,458 to #8,705.
FAQ
Danna surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Danna?
Name Census estimates that about 4,148 living Americans carry the surname Danna. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,631 residents.
How common is Danna?
Danna ranks #8,705 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.21 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 3,617 people with the surname Danna. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,148), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.21 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 Danna.
Has Danna become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Danna went from 3,904 recorded bearers to 3,617. That is a decrease of 287 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,458 to #8,705.
What does the Census say about the background of Danna?
Among Census respondents with the surname Danna, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Danna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (3,154 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Danna appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Hispanic (6.0%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Danna (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 Danna mean?
An Italian surname referring to someone who owned or managed a tannery or engaged in leather tanning. 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 Danna (1.21 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 Americans have the surname Danna?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.