2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Desanzo
An Italian surname derived from the given name Santo or Sancio, meaning "holy" or "saintly".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Desanzo. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Desanzo 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Desanzo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Desanzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Desanzo
The surname DeSanzo is of Italian origin, deriving from the region of Campania in southern Italy. It is believed to have first emerged in the 8th or 9th century AD, during the Byzantine occupation of the area. The name likely evolved from the Latin phrase "de sancto," meaning "of the saint," which may have referred to a person living near a church or holy site dedicated to a particular saint.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the DeSanzo name appears in a 12th-century manuscript from the town of Amalfi, where a nobleman named Robertus de Sancto is mentioned. This suggests that the name had already become established in the region by that time.
In the 13th century, the DeSanzo name can be found in records from the city of Naples, where a family bearing the name held land and properties. A notable member of this family was Goffredo DeSanzo, a wealthy merchant who lived from 1235 to 1302.
As the DeSanzo family grew in prominence, they established themselves in other parts of southern Italy, including the regions of Calabria and Basilicata. In the 15th century, a branch of the family settled in the town of Messina, Sicily, where they were involved in the silk trade.
One of the most well-known historical figures with the DeSanzo surname was Giovanni DeSanzo, a renowned painter and architect who lived from 1592 to 1668. He was born in Naples and is best known for his work on the Chiesa del Gesù Nuovo, a prominent Baroque church in the city.
Another notable DeSanzo was Vincenzo DeSanzo, a 17th-century composer and organist from Naples who worked in the court of the Spanish Viceroy. His compositions were widely performed throughout Europe during his lifetime, which spanned from 1620 to 1688.
In the 19th century, the DeSanzo name gained prominence in the field of law and politics. Giuseppe DeSanzo (1808-1879) was a prominent lawyer and statesman from Naples who played a key role in the unification of Italy.
As the DeSanzo family spread throughout Italy and beyond, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as DeSanzio, DeSanctis, and DeSancto. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained rooted in the Latin phrase "de sancto," a testament to the rich history and cultural heritage of this Italian surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Desanzo
Among Census respondents with the surname Desanzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Desanzo 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 Desanzo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Desanzo
Desanzo 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,337 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+10 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,478 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 11,337 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 10,478 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 Desanzo 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 | #158,432 | #147,954 | 6.6% |
| Count | 102 | 112 | 9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 24.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Desanzo bearers went from 102 to 112 (+9.8% change). The surname moved up 10,478 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #147,954.
FAQ
Desanzo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Desanzo?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Desanzo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Desanzo?
Desanzo ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Desanzo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Desanzo.
Has Desanzo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Desanzo went from 102 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 10 (+9.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Desanzo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Desanzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Desanzo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Desanzo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Hispanic (2.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Desanzo (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 Desanzo mean?
An Italian surname derived from the given name Santo or Sancio, meaning "holy" 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 Desanzo (0.04 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 Desanzo?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.