2000
#12,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,383
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Defrancesco
A surname indicating someone from France or of French descent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,740 Americans carry the last name Defrancesco. That puts it at #12,410 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,093 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Defrancesco 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
2.7K
1 in 125,093
Census rank
#12,410
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,389 bearers of the surname Defrancesco in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12410th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Defrancesco, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Defrancesco
The surname DeFrancesco has its origins in Italy, tracing back to the medieval era. It is derived from the combination of the Italian prefix "de" meaning "from" and the name "Francesco," which is the Italian variant of the name "Francis." This suggests that the surname was originally given to individuals who hailed from a particular location associated with the name Francesco or were descendants of someone bearing that given name.
One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in the historic records of the city of Naples, dating back to the 14th century. Here, the name appeared as "De Francesco," which was a common spelling variation during that time period. It is believed that the name may have originated in this region of southern Italy before spreading to other parts of the country.
In the 15th century, the surname DeFrancesco was recorded in various documents and manuscripts from the Venetian Republic, particularly in the areas around Venice and Padua. This suggests that the name had gained a presence in the northeastern regions of Italy as well.
Notable individuals who bore this surname include Girolamo DeFrancesco, a renowned Italian painter who lived in the 16th century and was known for his religious works and frescoes adorning churches in Rome and Naples. Another prominent figure was Pietro DeFrancesco, a philosopher and scholar from Padua who lived during the late Renaissance period in the 16th century.
In the 17th century, the surname DeFrancesco appeared in records from the Kingdom of Naples, where a family of that name held a noble title and owned substantial land holdings. One member of this family, Antonio DeFrancesco (1634-1701), was a celebrated military commander who fought in the Wars of the Spanish Succession.
Moving into the 18th century, the name DeFrancesco gained prominence in the region of Calabria, located in southern Italy. Here, a notable figure was Vincenzo DeFrancesco (1712-1779), a renowned architect who designed several significant churches and public buildings in the city of Reggio Calabria.
As the centuries progressed, the surname DeFrancesco continued to be found throughout various regions of Italy, with individuals bearing this name contributing to various fields, including the arts, academia, and politics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Defrancesco
Among Census respondents with the surname Defrancesco, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Defrancesco 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 Defrancesco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 2,218
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 101
- Two or more races1.7% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 22
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Defrancesco
Defrancesco 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
#22,301
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,156
-1,227 bearers (-51.5%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Down 10,273 places
2020
#12,410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,389
+1,233 bearers (+106.7%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 9,891 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,028 | 2,383 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,301 | 1,156 | 0.39 | -1,227 bearers (-51.5%) | Down 10,273 places |
| 2020 | #12,410 | 2,389 | 0.80 | +1,233 bearers (+106.7%) | Up 9,891 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 Defrancesco 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 | #22,301 | #12,410 | 44.4% |
| Count | 1,156 | 2,389 | 106.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.39 | 0.80 | 104.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Defrancesco bearers went from 1,156 to 2,389 (+106.7% change). The surname moved up 9,891 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,301 to #12,410.
FAQ
Defrancesco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Defrancesco?
Name Census estimates that about 2,740 living Americans carry the surname Defrancesco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,093 residents.
How common is Defrancesco?
Defrancesco ranks #12,410 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,389 people with the surname Defrancesco. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,740), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Defrancesco.
Has Defrancesco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Defrancesco went from 1,156 recorded bearers to 2,389. That is an increase of 1,233 (+106.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #22,301 to #12,410.
What does the Census say about the background of Defrancesco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Defrancesco, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Defrancesco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (2,218 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Defrancesco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Defrancesco (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 Defrancesco mean?
A surname indicating someone from France or of French descent. 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 Defrancesco (0.80 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 people are called Defrancesco?
Find out how many people have the surname Defrancesco on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.