2000
#9,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,298
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.22
Rare Last name
Didonato
Derived from a nickname meaning "given to God" in Italian, likely referring to a pious or devout person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,702 Americans carry the last name Didonato. That puts it at #9,618 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,586 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Didonato 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
3.7K
1 in 92,586
Census rank
#9,618
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,228 bearers of the surname Didonato in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9618th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Didonato, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Didonato
The surname DIDONATO is of Italian origin, tracing its roots back to the region of Campania in Southern Italy during the late medieval period. It is derived from the phrase "di Donato," which translates to "of Donato," suggesting a patronymic lineage connected to an ancestor named Donato.
The name Donato itself has its origins in the Latin word "donatus," meaning "given" or "donated," and was a common name among early Christians. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname DIDONATO can be found in the historic records of the city of Naples, dating back to the 14th century.
In the annals of Italian history, the name DIDONATO gained prominence in the 16th century with the rise of the prominent Neapolitan family of the same name. Notable members of this family include Giovan Battista Di Donato, a renowned architect and sculptor who lived from 1530 to 1598, and whose works can be found adorning many of Naples' historic churches and palaces.
Another significant figure bearing the DIDONATO name was Giovanni Di Donato, a 17th-century painter from the town of Vasto in the Abruzzo region. His works, primarily depicting religious scenes, can be found in various churches and museums throughout Italy.
In the 19th century, the DIDONATO name gained further recognition with the birth of Vincenzo Di Donato (1849-1920), a celebrated Italian jurist and politician who served as a member of the Italian Parliament and was instrumental in shaping the country's legal system.
Crossing into the 20th century, one cannot overlook the contributions of Pietro Di Donato (1911-1992), a notable Italian-American author and bricklayer whose semi-autobiographical novel "Christ in Concrete" (1939) shed light on the harsh realities faced by Italian immigrants in the United States.
While the DIDONATO surname may have its roots in Southern Italy, it has since spread across the globe, carried by generations of Italian emigrants seeking new opportunities in far-flung lands. Yet, despite its geographical dispersion, the name remains a testament to the rich cultural heritage and enduring legacy of its Italian origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Didonato
Among Census respondents with the surname Didonato, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Didonato 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 Didonato surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 2,990
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 165
- Two or more races1.5% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 19
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Didonato
Didonato 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
#9,672
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,355
+57 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 563 places
2020
#9,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,228
-127 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Up 54 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,109 | 3,298 | 1.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,672 | 3,355 | 1.14 | +57 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 563 places |
| 2020 | #9,618 | 3,228 | 1.08 | -127 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 54 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 Didonato 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 | #9,672 | #9,618 | 0.6% |
| Count | 3,355 | 3,228 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 1.08 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Didonato bearers went from 3,355 to 3,228 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 54 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,672 to #9,618.
FAQ
Didonato surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Didonato?
Name Census estimates that about 3,702 living Americans carry the surname Didonato. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,586 residents.
How common is Didonato?
Didonato ranks #9,618 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.08 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 3,228 people with the surname Didonato. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,702), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.08 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 Didonato.
Has Didonato become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Didonato went from 3,355 recorded bearers to 3,228. That is a decrease of 127 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,672 to #9,618.
What does the Census say about the background of Didonato?
Among Census respondents with the surname Didonato, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Didonato in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (2,990 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Didonato appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Didonato (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 Didonato mean?
Derived from a nickname meaning "given to God" in Italian, likely referring to a pious or devout person. 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 Didonato (1.08 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 have the surname Didonato?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.