DeSena last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of DeSena

A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name.

DeSena, 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 DeSena surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of DeSena in America

DeSena is the 23957th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The DeSena surname appeared 1,053 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 DeSena.

We can also compare 2010 data for DeSena 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 23957 24763 -3.31%
Count 1,053 944 10.92%
Proportion per 100k 0.36 0.35 2.82%

The history of the last name DeSena

The surname DESENA is believed to have originated in Italy, specifically in the regions of Campania and Lazio, during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Latin word "desena," which means "group of ten." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with a group or unit of ten soldiers or workers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DESENA can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Monastery of Cava in Campania, dating back to the 11th century. In this document, a person named "Desena de Amalfi" is mentioned, indicating the presence of the surname in the coastal town of Amalfi.

Another historical reference to the name DESENA can be found in the archives of the city of Capua, located in the province of Caserta, Campania. A document from the 13th century mentions a "Matteo Desena," suggesting that the name was well-established in the region during that time period.

In the 14th century, the name DESENA appears in the records of the Kingdom of Naples, where a nobleman named "Gianni Desena" is mentioned as a landowner in the region of Salerno.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname DESENA was Giacomo Desena, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Benevento, in the region of Campania, during the 15th century.

Another notable individual with the surname DESENA was Gianpaolo Desena, a renowned scholar and humanist who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He was born in the town of Sorrento, near Naples, and was known for his contributions to the study of classical literature and philosophy.

In the 17th century, the name DESENA was associated with the noble family of the same name, which owned vast estates in the region of Lazio. One of the most prominent members of this family was Marcantonio Desena, a wealthy landowner and patron of the arts, who commissioned several works of art and architecture in the city of Rome.

Throughout the centuries, the surname DESENA has been found in various regions of Italy, particularly in the southern regions of Campania, Lazio, and Calabria. While the name has undergone some minor spelling variations, such as "Desenna" or "Desena," its overall form and pronunciation have remained relatively consistent over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name DeSena

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

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 DeSena was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 84.81% 893
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.57% 6
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 1.71% 18
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.04% 11
Hispanic Origin 11.87% 125

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 DeSena has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 84.81% 88.88% -4.69%
Black 0.57% 0.74% -25.95%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.71% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.04% 2.65% -87.26%
Hispanic 11.87% 7.42% 46.14%

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

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

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"DeSena last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/desena-surname-popularity/.

"DeSena last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/desena-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

DeSena last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/desena-surname-popularity/.

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