Find out how popular the last name DeFranco is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named DeFranco.

DeFranco, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the DeFranco surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of DeFranco in America

DeFranco is the 12242nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The DeFranco surname appeared 2,541 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname DeFranco.

We can also compare 2010 data for DeFranco to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name DeFranco

The surname DeFranco originated in Italy and can be traced back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Italian words "de" meaning "of" or "from" and "Franco," which was a personal name that gained popularity during the Frankish conquests of Italy in the 6th to 8th centuries.

DeFranco is believed to have originated in the regions of Campania, Calabria, and Sicily, where the Frankish influence was particularly strong. The earliest known written records of the name can be found in documents from the 12th and 13th centuries, often referring to individuals or families from these regions.

One notable early mention of the name is in the "Codice Diplomatico Barese," a collection of historical documents from the city of Bari, which includes references to individuals with the surname DeFranco in the 13th century. Another historical source is the "Rationes Decimarum Italiae," a tax record from the late 13th century, which lists several DeFranco families in various parts of southern Italy.

The name DeFranco has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded figures was Giovanni DeFranco, a Neapolitan poet and scholar who lived in the 14th century. He is known for his work "De Regimine Principum," a treatise on the principles of good governance.

Another prominent DeFranco was Vincenzo DeFranco, a 16th-century architect from Calabria, who designed several notable buildings in Naples and the surrounding region. His most famous work is the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, completed in 1575.

In the 18th century, Giuseppe DeFranco was a renowned Italian composer and organist from Sicily. He is best known for his sacred works, including masses and oratorios, which were widely performed throughout Italy during his lifetime.

The 19th century saw the rise of Antonio DeFranco, an Italian patriot and revolutionary who played a significant role in the Risorgimento, the movement for Italian unification. He fought alongside Giuseppe Garibaldi and was later elected to the first Italian parliament after the country's unification in 1861.

In more recent times, one of the most notable figures with the surname DeFranco was Giacomo DeFranco, an Italian-American artist and sculptor who lived from 1892 to 1965. He is renowned for his public sculptures and monuments, many of which can be found in major cities across the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name DeFranco

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname DeFranco.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for DeFranco was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of DeFranco has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name DeFranco was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of DeFranco, please contact us.

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