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

DeSales, 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 DeSales surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of DeSales in America

DeSales is the 58604th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The DeSales surname appeared 346 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 DeSales.

We can also compare 2010 data for DeSales 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 DeSales

The surname DeSales originated in France during the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French phrase "de Sales", meaning "from Sales". This likely referred to a particular town or region called Sales where the earliest bearers of the name resided.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the DeSales surname can be found in the 13th century cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Maurice d'Agaune in Switzerland. The document lists a "Petrus de Sales", who was likely a landowner or nobleman from the Sales region of France.

In the 15th century, the DeSales name appears in various records from the Duchy of Savoy, which encompassed parts of modern-day France, Switzerland, and Italy. This suggests that the name had spread to this region, possibly through marriage or migration.

A notable figure with the DeSales surname was St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622), a Catholic bishop and Doctor of the Church. He was born in the Duchy of Savoy and is known for his works on spiritual guidance and his efforts to promote the Catholic faith during the Counter-Reformation.

Another prominent individual was Louis DeSales (1626-1701), a French priest and author who wrote several religious works, including a biography of St. Francis de Sales.

In the 17th century, the DeSales name appeared in various records from the French province of Burgundy, indicating that the name had spread to this region as well.

The DeSales surname also has a notable presence in the United States, likely due to immigration from France and other French-speaking regions. One example is René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle (1643-1687), a French explorer and fur trader who was instrumental in establishing French colonies in North America.

Another notable American with the DeSales surname was Constantine Samuel Rafinesque (1783-1840), a French-American naturalist and writer who made significant contributions to the study of botany, zoology, and linguistics.

Over the centuries, the DeSales surname has also been recorded with various spelling variations, such as DeSalle, DeSalis, and DeSalles, reflecting regional differences in pronunciation and orthography.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name DeSales

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

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

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

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