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

Dente, 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 Dente surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dente in America

Dente is the 27303rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dente surname appeared 885 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 Dente.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dente 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 Dente

The surname Dente originates from Italy, specifically the northern regions of Lombardy and Piedmont. Its origins can be traced back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "dente," meaning "tooth," and may have initially referred to someone with prominent or distinctive teeth.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Dente is found in the "Libro dei Battezzati" (Book of Baptisms) of the Commune of Pavia, dated 1279, where a certain "Jacobus Dente" is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already in use during the late 13th century in the Lombardy region.

In the 14th century, the surname Dente appeared in several historical records, including the "Codice Diplomatico Longobardo" (Lombard Diplomatic Code), which contains documents from various cities in Lombardy. One notable mention is a "Petrus Dente" from Milan in 1342.

The Dente surname has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest known was Guglielmo Dente (c. 1250-1325), a renowned Genoese navigator and cartographer who is credited with creating one of the earliest known portolan charts, a type of nautical map.

Another prominent individual was Vincenzo Dente (1520-1576), an Italian engraver and printmaker from Mantua, known for his intricate and detailed engravings of works by Raphael, Michelangelo, and other Renaissance masters.

In the literary world, Gherardo Dente (1554-1622) was a Italian poet and writer from Bologna, best known for his pastoral poetry and his work "La Pazza Savia" (The Wise Madwoman), a collection of novellas.

Moving to the 18th century, there was Vincenzo Dente (1736-1815), an Italian architect and engineer from Turin, who designed several notable buildings in his hometown, including the Church of San Francesco da Paola.

More recently, Gianfranco Dente (1938-2017) was an Italian film director and screenwriter, known for his collaborations with directors like Federico Fellini and Pier Paolo Pasolini.

While the surname Dente has its roots in northern Italy, it has since spread to other regions and countries, carried by migration and diaspora. However, its origins and historical significance remain firmly rooted in the Italian peninsula, particularly in the regions of Lombardy and Piedmont.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dente

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

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

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

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