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

DiFranco, 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 DiFranco surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of DiFranco in America

DiFranco is the 15272nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The DiFranco surname appeared 1,923 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 DiFranco.

We can also compare 2010 data for DiFranco 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 DiFranco

The surname DiFranco is of Italian origin, originating from the regions of Campania and Calabria in southern Italy. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.

The name DiFranco is derived from the personal name Franco, which comes from the Germanic word "franko," meaning "free" or "free man." This name was likely given to individuals who were freemen or had been granted freedom from serfdom or servitude.

In its earliest forms, the name was often spelled as "De Franco" or "Di Franco," indicating the individual's place of origin or the family they belonged to. The prefix "di" or "de" means "from" or "of" in Italian.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name DiFranco can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Monastery of Cava in Campania, dated to the 12th century.

Notable individuals with the surname DiFranco throughout history include:

1. Guglielmo DiFranco (c. 1240-1310), an Italian jurist and philosopher from Naples.
2. Francesca DiFranco (1456-1512), a noblewoman and philanthropist from Calabria, known for her support of the arts and education.
3. Antonio DiFranco (1614-1688), a Neapolitan architect who contributed to the design of several churches and palaces in Naples.
4. Domenico DiFranco (1692-1753), an Italian painter and fresco artist, renowned for his works in churches throughout Campania and Calabria.
5. Giuseppe DiFranco (1816-1888), an Italian patriot and soldier who fought in the Risorgimento movement for the unification of Italy.

The name DiFranco is also associated with several place names in southern Italy, such as the town of Francolise in Campania, which was originally called "Francoli" or "Franculisio," derived from the same root as the surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name DiFranco

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

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

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

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