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Rare Last name

Decarlo

An Italian surname derived from the given name Carlo, meaning "free man."

According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,855 Americans carry the last name Decarlo. That puts it at #5,860 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,001 residents).

This page is the full Name Census profile for the Decarlo surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, 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

6.9K

1 in 50,001

Census rank

#5,860

2010 decennial data

Per 100,000

2.0

Frequency rate

Recorded bearers

5.9K

rare in the US

Popularity narrative

The Census Bureau recorded 5,889 bearers of the surname Decarlo in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5860th position in the national surname ranking.

Among Census respondents with the surname Decarlo, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).

Origin

Meaning and origin of Decarlo

The surname DeCarlo is of Italian origin, with roots tracing back to the 14th century in the region of Campania. It is derived from the Italian words "de" meaning "from" and "Carlo," which is the Italian form of the name Charles. This suggests that the surname was initially given to individuals who hailed from a location associated with someone named Carlo.

One of the earliest known records of the name DeCarlo can be found in a document from 1387 in the city of Naples, where a certain Giovanni DeCarlo is mentioned as a landowner. This provides evidence of the surname's existence in the late medieval period in southern Italy.

During the Renaissance era, the name DeCarlo appeared in various historical manuscripts and records across Italy. Notably, in 1512, a Florentine artist named Girolamo DeCarlo was commissioned to create frescoes for the Church of San Miniato al Monte in Florence.

As time progressed, the DeCarlo surname spread to other regions of Italy, and its spelling variations emerged, such as DeCarli and DeCarolo. In the 18th century, a prominent figure bearing this surname was Giuseppe DeCarlo, a composer and musician from Naples who lived from 1698 to 1782.

In the 19th century, the DeCarlo name gained further recognition with the birth of Luigi DeCarlo in 1835, an Italian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies in the newly unified Kingdom of Italy.

Another notable individual with this surname was Aldo DeCarlo, an Italian-American artist and illustrator who was born in 1904 and is best known for creating the iconic character Josie and the Pussycats for Archie Comics.

Throughout history, other individuals with the DeCarlo surname have made their mark in various fields, such as Elia DeCarlo, an Italian-American mobster who lived from 1904 to 1961, and Vito DeCarlo, an Italian-American professional wrestler born in 1928.

Demographics

Ancestry and ethnicity for Decarlo

Among Census respondents with the surname Decarlo, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).

The bar chart below shows how Decarlo bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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.

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 Decarlo surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.

  • White93.2%
  • Hispanic or Latino4.1%
  • Two or more races1.0%
  • Black or African American0.9%
  • American Indian and Alaska Native0.5%
  • Asian and Pacific Islander0.4%

Year on year

2010 vs 2010 Census

How has the Decarlo surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.

Census year comparison

20102010
Bearer countPer 100,000 residents20102010201020105,8895,8892.02.0
Metric 2010 2010 Change
Rank #5,860 #5,860 0.0%
Count 5,889 5,889 0.0%
Per 100K 2.00 2.00 0.0%

Between the 2010 and 2010 Census, the number of Decarlo bearers went from 5,889 to 5,889 (+0.0% change). The surname held its position in the national ranking, going from #5,860 to #5,860.

Notable bearers

Famous people with the surname Decarlo

FAQ

Decarlo surname: questions and answers

How common is the last name Decarlo?

The surname Decarlo holds position #5,860 in the US Census Bureau's surname ranking, with an estimated 6,855 living bearers. It occurs at a rate of 2.00 per 100,000 Americans.

What is the ethnic background of the Decarlo surname?

Among Census respondents with the surname Decarlo, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). These figures come from the 2010 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.

Where does this surname data come from?

All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These tables list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2010 Census, along with a frequency rate and self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.

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Decarlo

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