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

DeVito, 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 DeVito surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of DeVito in America

DeVito is the 4528th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The DeVito surname appeared 7,831 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname DeVito.

We can also compare 2010 data for DeVito 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 DeVito

The surname DeVito is of Italian origin, specifically from southern Italy and the region around Naples. It is derived from the Italian words "di" meaning "from" and "Vito" which is the name of a saint from the 4th century. So the name essentially means "from Vito" or someone from the town of Vito.

The earliest recorded instances of this surname date back to the 11th century in various records and manuscripts from the Campania region of southern Italy. One of the earliest references is found in a medieval document from 1075 mentioning a landowner named Giovanni DeVito.

In the 13th century, there are records of a noble family with the surname DeVito residing in the town of Vico Equense near Naples. This family had ties to the powerful Carafa family and owned significant land and property in the area.

One of the first notable people with this surname was Luca DeVito, a merchant and banker from Salerno who lived from 1325 to 1402. He established trade routes across the Mediterranean and had business dealings with the Republic of Genoa.

During the Renaissance period, the artist and sculptor Girolamo DeVito (1492-1556) from Naples gained fame for his intricate marble sculptures that adorned many churches and palaces in his home city.

In the 17th century, a branch of the DeVito family settled in Sicily where they became landowners and aristocrats. One member, Tommaso DeVito (1635-1701), served as a diplomat and advisor to the viceroy of Sicily.

As the surname spread across Italy over the centuries, different spellings emerged such as DeVita, De Vita, and Di Vito. However, the DeVito variation remained most common, especially in its southern Italian origins around Naples and the Campania region.

Other notable people with this surname include the Italian-American actor Danny DeVito, born in 1944, known for roles in films like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Twins, Batman Returns, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. There was also an American mobster named Philip DeVito (1925-2022) who was a member of the Lucchese crime family in New York City.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name DeVito

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

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

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

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