2000
#9,246
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,243
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Deleo
Derived from the Italian word "olio," meaning "oil," likely referring to an oil merchant or producer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,618 Americans carry the last name Deleo. That puts it at #9,798 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,736 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Deleo 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
3.6K
1 in 94,736
Census rank
#9,798
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,155 bearers of the surname Deleo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9798th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Deleo, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.6%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Deleo
The surname DELEO is believed to have originated in Italy during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin phrase "de leo," meaning "of the lion." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who exhibited lion-like qualities or resided near an area associated with lions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the DELEO name can be found in a 14th-century document from the city of Florence, where a certain Guido DELEO is mentioned as a prominent merchant. This indicates that the name was already well-established in the region at that time.
The DELEO surname is also linked to several notable figures throughout history. In the 15th century, Giovanni DELEO was a renowned artist and sculptor who contributed to the embellishment of various churches and palaces in Rome. His works can still be admired in the Vatican City and other Italian cities.
During the Renaissance period, the DELEO family played a significant role in the intellectual and cultural life of Italy. Lorenzo DELEO (1446-1521) was a celebrated humanist and philosopher who taught at the University of Padua and authored several influential treatises on ethics and rhetoric.
In the 18th century, Carlo DELEO (1712-1786) gained prominence as a brilliant mathematician and astronomer. He made important contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and was elected a member of the prestigious Accademia dei Lincei, one of the oldest scientific academies in Europe.
Another notable figure with the DELEO surname was Giacomo DELEO (1823-1901), a prominent politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Italy from 1892 to 1893. He played a crucial role in shaping the country's foreign policy and strengthening its international relations.
While the DELEO name originated in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration. However, the historical records and references mentioned above highlight the surname's deep roots in Italian history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Deleo
Among Census respondents with the surname Deleo, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.6%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Deleo 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 Deleo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.9% · 2,709
- Hispanic or Latino10.6% · 334
- Two or more races2.2% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 20
- Black or African American0.6% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Deleo
Deleo 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
#9,267
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,513
+270 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Down 21 places
2020
#9,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,155
-358 bearers (-10.2%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 531 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,246 | 3,243 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,267 | 3,513 | 1.19 | +270 bearers (+8.3%) | Down 21 places |
| 2020 | #9,798 | 3,155 | 1.06 | -358 bearers (-10.2%) | Down 531 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 Deleo 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 | #9,267 | #9,798 | -5.7% |
| Count | 3,513 | 3,155 | -10.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.19 | 1.06 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Deleo bearers went from 3,513 to 3,155 (-10.2% change). The surname moved down 531 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,267 to #9,798.
FAQ
Deleo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Deleo?
Name Census estimates that about 3,618 living Americans carry the surname Deleo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,736 residents.
How common is Deleo?
Deleo ranks #9,798 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 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 3,155 people with the surname Deleo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,618), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 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 Deleo.
Has Deleo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Deleo went from 3,513 recorded bearers to 3,155. That is a decrease of 358 (-10.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,267 to #9,798.
What does the Census say about the background of Deleo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Deleo, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.6%) 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 Deleo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (2,709 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Deleo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.9%), Hispanic (10.6%), 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 Deleo (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 Deleo mean?
Derived from the Italian word "olio," meaning "oil," likely referring to an oil merchant or producer. 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 Deleo (1.06 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 Deleo?
If you just want to know how common the surname Deleo is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.