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

DeGaetano, 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 DeGaetano surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of DeGaetano in America

DeGaetano is the 27707th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The DeGaetano surname appeared 868 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname DeGaetano.

We can also compare 2010 data for DeGaetano 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 DeGaetano

The surname DeGaetano has its origins in Italy, specifically in the southern regions of Campania and Sicily. It dates back to the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Italian given name Gaetano, which in turn comes from the Latin name Caietanus, meaning "from Caieta" (now known as Gaeta), a coastal town in the province of Latina, Lazio.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname DeGaetano can be found in historical documents from the Kingdom of Naples and the Kingdom of Sicily, which were separate entities at the time. One notable example is Nicolò DeGaetano, a 15th-century nobleman and landowner from the town of Aversa, near Naples.

In the 16th century, the surname DeGaetano appeared in various records from the city of Palermo, Sicily. This includes a reference to a certain Giovanni DeGaetano, who was a merchant and ship owner in the mid-1500s.

As the centuries passed, the DeGaetano family spread across other parts of Italy, with some members achieving notable status. For instance, Giacomo DeGaetano (1718-1786) was a celebrated architect from Naples who designed several churches and palaces in his hometown.

Another prominent figure was Raffaele DeGaetano (1844-1920), an Italian politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice in the early 20th century government of Giovanni Giolitti.

In the realm of art, the name DeGaetano is associated with the Italian painter Giuseppe DeGaetano (1858-1923), known for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting everyday life in southern Italy.

While the surname is primarily concentrated in Italy, it has also spread to other parts of the world through immigration. One notable example is Salvatore DeGaetano (1926-2018), an Italian-American businessman and philanthropist from New York City, who made significant contributions to various charitable causes.

Throughout its long history, the surname DeGaetano has maintained a strong connection to its Italian roots, with its origins traced back to the medieval period and the town of Gaeta in the Lazio region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name DeGaetano

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

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 DeGaetano 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 DeGaetano 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 DeGaetano was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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