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

Desiderio, 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 Desiderio surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Desiderio in America

Desiderio is the 13775th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Desiderio surname appeared 2,196 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Desiderio.

We can also compare 2010 data for Desiderio 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 Desiderio

The surname Desiderio originated in Italy during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin word "desiderium," meaning desire or longing. The name likely emerged as a surname in the 12th or 13th century, attributed to someone with a fervent or passionate nature.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Desiderio surname can be found in a document from the city of Siena, dated 1287, referring to a merchant named Giacomo Desiderio. Another early record comes from a tax registry in Florence from 1321, listing a family with the surname Desiderio residing in the Santa Croce district.

In the 14th century, the Desiderio name appeared in various records across central and southern Italy, including Naples, Rome, and the Abruzzo region. Some variations in spelling included Disiderio and Desyderio.

A notable historical figure bearing this surname was Lorenzo Desiderio, a Renaissance humanist and philosopher from Faenza, who lived from 1456 to 1512. He was renowned for his Latin translations of ancient Greek texts and his teachings at the University of Bologna.

Another prominent individual was Girolamo Desiderio, an Italian composer and organist from the late 16th century. Born in Fabriano around 1560, he served as the organist at the Basilica of St. Peter's in Rome and composed numerous sacred works.

In the 17th century, there was a painter named Pietro Desiderio, active in Naples between 1620 and 1640. He was known for his religious paintings and frescoes adorning various churches in the city.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Desiderio surname outside of Italy dates back to the late 18th century, when a Spanish noble named Juan Desiderio de la Cerda y Torreblanca lived in Madrid, serving as a courtier to King Charles III.

Another notable figure was Giuseppe Desiderio, an Italian patriot and soldier who fought in the Risorgimento, the movement for the unification of Italy in the 19th century. He was born in Naples in 1817 and participated in the revolutionary uprisings of 1848 and 1860.

While the Desiderio surname has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and the Americas, carried by Italian emigrants over the centuries. The name continues to be found predominantly in Italy, particularly in the regions of Lazio, Campania, and Abruzzo.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Desiderio

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

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

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

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