2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Defanti
An Italian surname likely derived from the phrase "di Fanti" meaning "of the infantrymen."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Defanti. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Defanti 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Defanti in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Defanti, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Defanti
The surname DEFANTI has its origins in Italy, dating back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the region of Lombardy in northern Italy, where it was likely derived from a local place name or a personal descriptive nickname.
One theory suggests that the name DEFANTI may have its roots in the Latin word "defensor," meaning "defender" or "protector." This could indicate that the original bearer of the name was someone who served as a defender or protector of a particular locality or noble family.
Another possibility is that the name DEFANTI is derived from an old Italian word or phrase, such as "de fante," meaning "of the foot soldier" or "of the infantry." This could suggest that an ancestor of the family may have been a foot soldier or served in the infantry during a time of conflict or military service.
The earliest known record of the DEFANTI surname appears in the Venetian archives from the 14th century, where a merchant named Giovanni DEFANTI is mentioned in a trade document dated 1376. This suggests that the name was already well-established in northern Italy by that time.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure named Giacomo DEFANTI (1425-1493) was a renowned architect and engineer from Verona. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings and fortifications in the Veneto region, including the Castelvecchio Bridge in Verona, which still stands today.
During the Renaissance period, the DEFANTI family produced several notable artists and scholars. One such figure was Girolamo DEFANTI (1510-1584), a painter and sculptor from Milan who contributed to the decorative works in several churches and palaces throughout northern Italy.
Another notable individual with the DEFANTI surname was Antonio DEFANTI (1678-1741), a Venetian composer and musician who was highly regarded for his operas and sacred works during the Baroque era.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure named Giuseppe DEFANTI (1825-1898) was a politician and advocate for Italian unification. He served as a member of the Italian Parliament and played an active role in the Risorgimento movement, which ultimately led to the unification of Italy in 1861.
While the DEFANTI surname has its roots in northern Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the country and even beyond, with descendants bearing the name found in various regions and countries around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Defanti
Among Census respondents with the surname Defanti, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Defanti 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 Defanti surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 88
- Two or more races5.1% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Defanti
Defanti appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-16 bearers (-13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,864 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -16 bearers (-13.9%) | Down 11,864 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 Defanti 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 | #144,141 | #156,005 | -8.2% |
| Count | 115 | 99 | -13.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Defanti bearers went from 115 to 99 (-13.9% change). The surname moved down 11,864 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #156,005.
FAQ
Defanti surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Defanti?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Defanti. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Defanti?
Defanti ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 99 people with the surname Defanti. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Defanti.
Has Defanti become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Defanti went from 115 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 16 (-13.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Defanti?
Among Census respondents with the surname Defanti, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Defanti in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Defanti appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Two or More Races (5.1%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Defanti (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 Defanti mean?
An Italian surname likely derived from the phrase "di Fanti" meaning "of the infantrymen." 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 Defanti (0.03 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 Defanti?
See how many Americans have the surname Defanti on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.