2000
#11,573
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,491
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Defranco
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person from France or someone with French ancestry or characteristics.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,566 Americans carry the last name Defranco. That puts it at #13,103 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,575 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Defranco 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
2.6K
1 in 133,575
Census rank
#13,103
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,238 bearers of the surname Defranco in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13103rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Defranco, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.0%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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One notable early mention of the name is in the "Codice Diplomatico Barese," a collection of historical documents from the city of Bari, which includes references to individuals with the surname DeFranco in the 13th century.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Defranco
Among Census respondents with the surname Defranco, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.0%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Defranco 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 Defranco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 1,958
- Hispanic or Latino9.0% · 202
- Two or more races1.7% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 23
- Black or African American0.6% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Defranco
Defranco 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
#12,242
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,541
+50 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 669 places
2020
#13,103
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,238
-303 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 861 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,573 | 2,491 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,242 | 2,541 | 0.86 | +50 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 669 places |
| 2020 | #13,103 | 2,238 | 0.75 | -303 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 861 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 Defranco 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 | #12,242 | #13,103 | -7.0% |
| Count | 2,541 | 2,238 | -11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.75 | -12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Defranco bearers went from 2,541 to 2,238 (-11.9% change). The surname moved down 861 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,242 to #13,103.
FAQ
Defranco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Defranco?
Name Census estimates that about 2,566 living Americans carry the surname Defranco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,575 residents.
How common is Defranco?
Defranco ranks #13,103 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,238 people with the surname Defranco. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,566), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Defranco.
Has Defranco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Defranco went from 2,541 recorded bearers to 2,238. That is a decrease of 303 (-11.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,242 to #13,103.
What does the Census say about the background of Defranco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Defranco, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.0%) 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 Defranco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (1,958 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Defranco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Hispanic (9.0%), 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 Defranco (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 Defranco mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person from France or someone with French ancestry or characteristics. 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 Defranco (0.75 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 share the surname Defranco?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.