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

DePaola, 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 DePaola surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of DePaola in America

DePaola is the 20125th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The DePaola surname appeared 1,327 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 DePaola.

We can also compare 2010 data for DePaola 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 DePaola

The surname DePaola has its origins in Italy, particularly in the regions of Campania and Calabria, with records dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Italian words "di" meaning "of" and "paola," which refers to the town of Paola in the province of Cosenza, Calabria. The name likely originated as a way to indicate someone's place of origin or residence.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DePaola can be found in the records of the Archivio di Stato di Napoli (State Archive of Naples), which mentions a certain "Giacomo De Paola" in a document dated 1472. This suggests that the surname was already in use during the latter part of the 15th century in the Kingdom of Naples, which included parts of modern-day Campania and Calabria.

In the 16th century, the surname DePaola appeared in various records from the city of Salerno, located in the region of Campania. For example, a document from 1523 mentions a "Gian Battista De Paola" who was a merchant in the city. This indicates that the name had spread to other parts of the region by that time.

One notable individual with the surname DePaola was Francesco DePaola, a Neapolitan painter who lived from 1623 to 1692. He was known for his religious works and frescoes, and some of his paintings can still be seen in churches and museums in Naples and its surrounding areas.

Another historical figure with this surname was Domenico DePaola, a Calabrian philosopher and writer who lived from 1768 to 1833. He wrote several works on philosophy, ethics, and literature, and was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of his time.

In the 19th century, the surname DePaola can be found in records from various parts of Italy, indicating that the name had spread throughout the country. For instance, a document from 1856 mentions a "Giuseppe DePaola" who was a landowner in the town of Lauria, located in the province of Potenza, in the region of Basilicata.

As for place names or older spellings, the town of Paola in Calabria was formerly known as "Paola Vecchia" or "Paola Antica," and the surname may have been spelled as "De Paola Vecchia" or "De Paola Antica" in some older records. Additionally, there are variations of the surname such as "Depaoli" and "Depaulo," which may have been used in different regions or time periods.

Overall, the surname DePaola has a rich history rooted in Italy, particularly in the regions of Campania and Calabria, and has been associated with various notable individuals throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name DePaola

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!