2000
#12,955
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,171
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Desanto
An Italian surname meaning "of the saints" or "saintly".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,429 Americans carry the last name Desanto. That puts it at #13,700 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,109 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Desanto 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
2.4K
1 in 141,109
Census rank
#13,700
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,118 bearers of the surname Desanto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13700th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Desanto, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Desanto
The surname DeSanto originated in Italy, and is believed to have first appeared in the 12th century. It is derived from the Italian words "de" meaning "from" and "santo" meaning "saint". The name likely referred to someone who lived near a church or holy site dedicated to a particular saint.
During the Middle Ages, surnames began to be used more widely as a way to distinguish between individuals with the same first name. DeSanto was a common surname in regions such as Sicily, Calabria, and Campania, where many towns and villages were named after local saints.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DeSanto appears in a 13th-century manuscript from the city of Palermo, Sicily. This document mentions a man named Giovanni DeSanto, who was a merchant and landowner.
In the 14th century, the name DeSanto can be found in records from the town of Caserta, near Naples. A family with this surname was involved in the local government and held positions of authority.
One notable person with the surname DeSanto was Francesco DeSanto, a Sicilian artist who lived in the 16th century (c. 1535-1592). He was known for his religious paintings and frescoes found in churches throughout Sicily.
Another individual of note was Girolamo DeSanto (1592-1668), a Neapolitan philosopher and theologian. He wrote several influential works on ethics and moral philosophy, which were widely read throughout Europe.
In the 18th century, a man named Vincenzo DeSanto (1712-1782) was a renowned architect from Calabria. He designed several churches and public buildings in his hometown of Reggio Calabria, as well as in other cities in southern Italy.
A more recent historical figure was Giuseppe DeSanto (1856-1934), an Italian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Italian Parliament in the early 20th century, representing the region of Campania.
Throughout its history, the surname DeSanto has been associated with various place names in Italy, such as Santo Stefano, San Pietro, and other towns named after saints. The spelling has remained relatively consistent over time, although variations like De Santo and Di Santo have also been used.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Desanto
Among Census respondents with the surname Desanto, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Desanto 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 Desanto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 1,952
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 101
- Two or more races1.8% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- Black or African American0.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Desanto
Desanto 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
#15,499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,889
-282 bearers (-13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 2,544 places
2020
#13,700
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,118
+229 bearers (+12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 1,799 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,955 | 2,171 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,499 | 1,889 | 0.64 | -282 bearers (-13.0%) | Down 2,544 places |
| 2020 | #13,700 | 2,118 | 0.71 | +229 bearers (+12.1%) | Up 1,799 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 Desanto 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 | #15,499 | #13,700 | 11.6% |
| Count | 1,889 | 2,118 | 12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.71 | 10.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Desanto bearers went from 1,889 to 2,118 (+12.1% change). The surname moved up 1,799 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,499 to #13,700.
FAQ
Desanto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Desanto?
Name Census estimates that about 2,429 living Americans carry the surname Desanto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,109 residents.
How common is Desanto?
Desanto ranks #13,700 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,118 people with the surname Desanto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,429), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Desanto.
Has Desanto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Desanto went from 1,889 recorded bearers to 2,118. That is an increase of 229 (+12.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,499 to #13,700.
What does the Census say about the background of Desanto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Desanto, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Desanto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (1,952 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Desanto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Desanto (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 Desanto mean?
An Italian surname meaning "of the saints" or "saintly". 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 Desanto (0.71 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 Desanto?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.