2000
#8,329
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,657
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.36
Rare Last name
Defelice
An Italian surname derived from the phrase "di Felice," meaning "of happy" or "of fortunate," referring to a joyful ancestor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,961 Americans carry the last name Defelice. That puts it at #9,086 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,532 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Defelice 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 Defelice with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 86,532
Census rank
#9,086
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,454 bearers of the surname Defelice in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9086th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Defelice, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Defelice
The surname DeFelice originated in Italy, specifically in the southern regions of Campania and Calabria. It is derived from the Latin name "Felix," which means "happy" or "lucky." The name likely emerged during the Middle Ages, when surnames began to be adopted in Italy.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DeFelice can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Benedictine monastery of Cava dei Tirreni in Campania. This codex, dating back to the 11th century, mentions individuals with the surname DeFelice.
The name DeFelice is also closely associated with the town of Cerreto Sannita in the province of Benevento, Campania. Historical records indicate that a noble family bearing the DeFelice name resided in this town during the 16th and 17th centuries.
A notable figure from the DeFelice family was Vincenzo DeFelice, born in Cerreto Sannita in 1562. He was a renowned jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in Naples and authored several works on jurisprudence.
Another individual of note was Nicola DeFelice, a Catholic priest and theologian from Calabria, who lived in the 18th century. He authored several theological treatises and was known for his erudition and piety.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe DeFelice (1832-1912) was a prominent Italian politician and lawyer from Campania. He served as a member of the Italian parliament and was actively involved in the Risorgimento movement for Italian unification.
The name DeFelice is also found in other parts of Italy, such as Sicily and Piedmont, likely due to migration patterns throughout the centuries. Variations of the spelling include De Felice, De Felici, and Defelici.
While the surname DeFelice has its roots in southern Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world through Italian emigration. Families bearing this name can be found in countries like the United States, Argentina, and Australia, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Defelice
Among Census respondents with the surname Defelice, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Defelice 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 Defelice surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 3,124
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 199
- Two or more races2.2% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 29
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Defelice
Defelice 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
#8,559
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,848
+191 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 230 places
2020
#9,086
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,454
-394 bearers (-10.2%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 527 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,329 | 3,657 | 1.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,559 | 3,848 | 1.30 | +191 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 230 places |
| 2020 | #9,086 | 3,454 | 1.16 | -394 bearers (-10.2%) | Down 527 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 Defelice 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 | #8,559 | #9,086 | -6.2% |
| Count | 3,848 | 3,454 | -10.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.30 | 1.16 | -11.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Defelice bearers went from 3,848 to 3,454 (-10.2% change). The surname moved down 527 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,559 to #9,086.
FAQ
Defelice surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Defelice?
Name Census estimates that about 3,961 living Americans carry the surname Defelice. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,532 residents.
How common is Defelice?
Defelice ranks #9,086 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 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 3,454 people with the surname Defelice. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,961), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 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 Defelice.
Has Defelice become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Defelice went from 3,848 recorded bearers to 3,454. That is a decrease of 394 (-10.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,559 to #9,086.
What does the Census say about the background of Defelice?
Among Census respondents with the surname Defelice, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Defelice in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (3,124 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Defelice appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (5.8%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Defelice (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 Defelice mean?
An Italian surname derived from the phrase "di Felice," meaning "of happy" or "of fortunate," referring to a joyful ancestor. 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 Defelice (1.16 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 Defelice?
You can see how many people are called Defelice on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.