2000
#14,422
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,899
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Desiderio
Derived from the Latin word meaning "desired" or "wished for," often bestowed upon a longed-for child.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,462 Americans carry the last name Desiderio. That puts it at #13,535 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,218 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Desiderio 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
2.5K
1 in 139,218
Census rank
#13,535
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,147 bearers of the surname Desiderio in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13535th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Desiderio, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (7.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Desiderio
Among Census respondents with the surname Desiderio, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (7.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Desiderio 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 Desiderio surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.4% · 1,233
- Hispanic or Latino26.2% · 562
- American Indian and Alaska Native7.2% · 154
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.4% · 138
- Two or more races2.4% · 52
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Desiderio
Desiderio 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
#13,775
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,196
+297 bearers (+15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Up 647 places
2020
#13,535
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,147
-49 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 240 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,422 | 1,899 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,775 | 2,196 | 0.74 | +297 bearers (+15.6%) | Up 647 places |
| 2020 | #13,535 | 2,147 | 0.72 | -49 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 240 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 Desiderio 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 | #13,775 | #13,535 | 1.7% |
| Count | 2,196 | 2,147 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.72 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Desiderio bearers went from 2,196 to 2,147 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 240 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,775 to #13,535.
FAQ
Desiderio surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Desiderio?
Name Census estimates that about 2,462 living Americans carry the surname Desiderio. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,218 residents.
How common is Desiderio?
Desiderio ranks #13,535 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,147 people with the surname Desiderio. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,462), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Desiderio.
Has Desiderio become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Desiderio went from 2,196 recorded bearers to 2,147. That is a decrease of 49 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,775 to #13,535.
What does the Census say about the background of Desiderio?
Among Census respondents with the surname Desiderio, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (7.2%). 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 Desiderio in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.4% (1,233 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Desiderio appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.4%), Hispanic (26.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (7.2%). 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 Desiderio (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 Desiderio mean?
Derived from the Latin word meaning "desired" or "wished for," often bestowed upon a longed-for child. 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 Desiderio (0.72 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 share the surname Desiderio?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.