2000
#11,280
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,573
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Dantonio
Derived from a patronymic surname meaning "son of Antonius" in Italian.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,893 Americans carry the last name Dantonio. That puts it at #11,865 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,477 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dantonio 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
2.9K
1 in 118,477
Census rank
#11,865
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,523 bearers of the surname Dantonio in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11865th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dantonio, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dantonio
The surname DANTONIO is of Italian origin, believed to have originated in the southern regions of the country during the medieval period. It is a combination of two words, "d'Antonio," which translates to "of Antonio," suggesting that the name may have been initially used to identify someone as the son or descendant of a person named Antonio.
The earliest known record of the DANTONIO name dates back to the 13th century in the city of Naples. It appeared in a historical document from the Angevin period, which saw the House of Anjou rule over the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily from 1266 to 1442. During this time, surnames became more prevalent among the nobility and upper classes, and DANTONIO likely emerged as a way to distinguish individuals within the same family.
In the late 14th century, the name DANTONIO was also found in Apulia, a region in southern Italy known for its rich agricultural traditions. It is possible that the name was associated with landowners or farmers in this area, reflecting their connection to the land and their lineage.
One notable figure bearing the DANTONIO surname was Giovanni Antonio Dantonio, a 16th-century Italian painter from Naples. Born in 1554, he was a prominent artist during the Renaissance period and is known for his religious works, including frescoes and altarpieces in various churches throughout Naples.
Another historical figure with this surname was Antonio Dantonio, a 17th-century Italian composer and organist from Palermo, Sicily. He was active during the Baroque era and is credited with composing several works for the church and court, reflecting the cultural and artistic vibrancy of the time.
In the 18th century, the DANTONIO name appeared in the town of Amalfi, located along the picturesque Amalfi Coast. Francesco Dantonio, born in 1712, was a renowned architect who contributed to the design and construction of several iconic buildings in the region, including the Cathedral of Amalfi.
As the DANTONIO surname spread throughout Italy, it also found its way to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. In the 19th century, Giuseppe Dantonio, born in 1832 in Naples, was a prominent Italian-American businessman and philanthropist who settled in New York City and played a significant role in the city's Italian community.
These are just a few examples of the historical figures who have carried the DANTONIO surname over the centuries, reflecting the rich cultural and artistic heritage associated with this Italian name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dantonio
Among Census respondents with the surname Dantonio, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Dantonio 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 Dantonio surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 2,304
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 145
- Two or more races1.6% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 24
- Black or African American0.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dantonio
Dantonio 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
#12,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,573
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 835 places
2020
#11,865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,523
-50 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 250 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,280 | 2,573 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,115 | 2,573 | 0.87 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 835 places |
| 2020 | #11,865 | 2,523 | 0.84 | -50 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 250 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 Dantonio 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 | #12,115 | #11,865 | 2.1% |
| Count | 2,573 | 2,523 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.84 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dantonio bearers went from 2,573 to 2,523 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 250 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,115 to #11,865.
FAQ
Dantonio surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dantonio?
Name Census estimates that about 2,893 living Americans carry the surname Dantonio. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,477 residents.
How common is Dantonio?
Dantonio ranks #11,865 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,523 people with the surname Dantonio. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,893), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Dantonio.
Has Dantonio become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dantonio went from 2,573 recorded bearers to 2,523. That is a decrease of 50 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,115 to #11,865.
What does the Census say about the background of Dantonio?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dantonio, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Dantonio in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (2,304 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dantonio appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (5.7%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Dantonio (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 Dantonio mean?
Derived from a patronymic surname meaning "son of Antonius" in Italian. 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 Dantonio (0.84 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 Dantonio?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.