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

Diego, 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 Diego surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Diego in America

Diego is the 5651st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Diego surname appeared 6,141 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Diego.

We can also compare 2010 data for Diego 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 Diego

The surname Diego is of Spanish origin, derived from the given name Diego, which is the Spanish form of the Latin name Didacus. The name Diego is believed to have its roots in the Greek name Didacus, which means "a native of Didyma," a town in ancient Greece near Miletus.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Diego can be traced back to the 12th century in Spain. During this time, the practice of adopting surnames was becoming more common, with many individuals taking their surnames from their given names or those of their ancestors.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Diego was Diego Rodríguez de Arana, a Spanish military leader who lived in the 13th century and played a significant role in the Reconquista, the medieval campaign to retake the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.

In the 14th century, the surname Diego was documented in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a manuscript commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile, which detailed hunting grounds and practices in medieval Spain.

Another notable bearer of the surname Diego was Diego de Siloé (c. 1490-1563), a renowned Spanish Renaissance architect and sculptor who designed several notable buildings, including the Granada Cathedral and the Monastery of San Jerónimo in Granada.

During the Age of Exploration, the surname Diego was carried across the Atlantic by Spanish explorers and conquistadors. One such individual was Diego de Almagro (c. 1475-1538), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the Spanish conquest of Peru and co-founded the city of Cusco.

In the realm of art, Diego Velázquez (1599-1660) was a celebrated Spanish painter who served as the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain. His masterpieces, such as "Las Meninas" and "The Surrender of Breda," are renowned for their technical brilliance and innovative compositions.

Another notable bearer of the surname Diego was Diego Rivera (1886-1957), a Mexican painter and muralist who played a crucial role in the Mexican Mural Renaissance. His vibrant and monumental murals, often depicting scenes from Mexican history and culture, can be found in various public buildings across Mexico and the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Diego

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

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

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

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