2000
#3,974
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,210
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.04
Rare Last name
Derosa
An Italian surname referring to someone with a pink complexion or who lived near a rose bush.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,848 Americans carry the last name Derosa. That puts it at #4,460 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,738 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Derosa 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Derosa with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.8K
1 in 38,738
Census rank
#4,460
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,716 bearers of the surname Derosa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4460th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Derosa, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Derosa
The surname DeRosa has its origins in Italy, specifically in the regions of Campania and Lazio. It is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Italian phrase "de rosa," which translates to "of the rose." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive name given to someone who lived near or was associated with a rose garden or rose-related trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Barese, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bari, dating back to the 13th century. In these records, the name appears as "de Rosa" and is associated with individuals from the surrounding areas of Bari and Naples.
Another notable mention of the name can be found in the Cedolario Napoletano, a collection of records from the Kingdom of Naples, where the name is listed as "DeRosa" in the 15th century. This suggests that the spelling variation with the capitalized "R" had already emerged by that time.
In terms of historical figures, one of the earliest notable individuals with the surname DeRosa was Giovanni DeRosa, a renowned painter from Naples who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Another notable figure was Francesco DeRosa, a philosopher and scholar from Campania who lived in the late 17th century and contributed to the Enlightenment movement in Italy.
Moving forward in time, the name appears in various historical records and documents across Italy. For example, in the 18th century, there was a notable DeRosa family in the town of Sorrento, known for their involvement in the local lemon trade. Additionally, in the 19th century, Giuseppe DeRosa was a prominent politician and lawyer from Naples who played a role in the Risorgimento movement for Italian unification.
As for place names and older spellings, the name is often associated with the town of Rosa in the province of Salerno, Campania. It is possible that the name was derived from this place name or that individuals from this town adopted the surname DeRosa. Other variations of the spelling include "De Rosa," "Derosa," and "Di Rosa."
Throughout history, there have been several other notable individuals with the surname DeRosa, including Antonio DeRosa, an Italian-American painter and sculptor from the early 20th century; Maria DeRosa, an Italian actress and singer from the mid-20th century; and Luigi DeRosa, an Italian footballer who played in the 1960s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Derosa
Among Census respondents with the surname Derosa, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Derosa 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 Derosa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 6,860
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 543
- Two or more races2.3% · 177
- Black or African American1.0% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Derosa
Derosa 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
#4,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,241
+31 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 2.79
Rank movement Down 340 places
2020
#4,460
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,716
-525 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 2.58
Rank movement Down 146 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,974 | 8,210 | 3.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,314 | 8,241 | 2.79 | +31 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 340 places |
| 2020 | #4,460 | 7,716 | 2.58 | -525 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 146 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 Derosa 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 | #4,314 | #4,460 | -3.4% |
| Count | 8,241 | 7,716 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.79 | 2.58 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Derosa bearers went from 8,241 to 7,716 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 146 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,314 to #4,460.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Derosa
FAQ
Derosa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Derosa?
Name Census estimates that about 8,848 living Americans carry the surname Derosa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,738 residents.
How common is Derosa?
Derosa ranks #4,460 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,716 people with the surname Derosa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,848), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Derosa.
Has Derosa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Derosa went from 8,241 recorded bearers to 7,716. That is a decrease of 525 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,314 to #4,460.
What does the Census say about the background of Derosa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Derosa, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Derosa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (6,860 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Derosa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Hispanic (7.0%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Derosa (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 Derosa mean?
An Italian surname referring to someone with a pink complexion or who lived near a rose bush. 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 Derosa (2.58 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 have the surname Derosa?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.