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

DeSoto, 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 DeSoto surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of DeSoto in America

DeSoto is the 11946th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The DeSoto surname appeared 2,617 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 DeSoto.

We can also compare 2010 data for DeSoto 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 DeSoto

The surname DeSoto originates from Spain, where it first appeared in the early 16th century. It is derived from the Spanish phrase "de Soto," which translates to "from the grove" or "from the forest." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near or worked in a wooded area.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Hernando de Soto, a Spanish explorer and conquistador born around 1496. He is best known for his expeditions in the Americas, particularly his exploration of what is now the southeastern United States between 1539 and 1542, during which he was the first European to cross the Mississippi River.

Another notable figure with the DeSoto name was Fernando de Soto, a Spanish painter who lived from 1598 to 1680. He is considered one of the leading figures of the Spanish Golden Age of painting and is renowned for his religious and historical works.

In the 18th century, Don Diego de Soto y Enríquez was a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Cuba from 1767 to 1770.

Moving to the 19th century, Manuel de Soto was a Venezuelan lawyer, politician, and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Venezuela in the 1840s.

Lastly, José de Soto was a Mexican-American artist and painter born in 1904. He is known for his works depicting scenes of daily life in Mexico and for his contributions to the Mexican Muralist movement of the 1920s and 1930s.

While the DeSoto name has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly Latin American countries, due to Spanish colonization and migration. However, its origins can be traced back to the early 16th century in Spain, where it was likely first used to describe someone who lived or worked near a forested area.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name DeSoto

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

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

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

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