2000
#33,653
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 639
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.24
Very Rare Last name
Digilio
A surname derived from the Italian words "di" and "giglio", meaning "of the lily".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 713 Americans carry the last name Digilio. That puts it at #38,337 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 480,721 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Digilio 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
713
1 in 480,721
Census rank
#38,337
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
622
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 622 bearers of the surname Digilio in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38337th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Digilio, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Digilio
The surname DiGilio has its roots in Italy, specifically the southern regions of Campania and Calabria, where it first emerged in the 15th century. The name is believed to derive from the Italian word "giglio," which means "lily," with the prefix "di" indicating "of" or "from." This suggests that the surname may have originally referred to a person associated with the cultivation or trade of lilies, or perhaps someone who lived near a place known for its abundance of these flowers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a document from the city of Naples, dated 1472, which mentions a certain Nicolo DiGilio, a merchant involved in the silk trade. This suggests that the DiGilio family may have been part of the thriving textile industry in the region during the Renaissance period.
In the 16th century, the name appears in several historical records from the town of Vico Equense, near Sorrento. One notable figure from this era was Giovanni Battista DiGilio, a renowned painter and sculptor who was active in the late 1500s and early 1600s. His works can still be admired in various churches and palaces throughout the region.
As the centuries passed, the DiGilio surname spread to other parts of Italy, with some branches eventually making their way to the Americas during the great waves of Italian immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One such individual was Giuseppe DiGilio, born in Calabria in 1875, who immigrated to the United States in 1898 and settled in New York City, where he worked as a tailor.
Another notable figure bearing this surname was Antonio DiGilio, a writer and journalist from Campania who lived from 1892 to 1976. He was known for his works on Italian folklore and traditions, as well as his contributions to various newspapers and magazines throughout his career.
In the realm of sports, the name DiGilio has also made its mark. Vincenzo DiGilio, born in 1920 in Naples, was a professional soccer player who played as a defender for several Italian clubs, including Napoli and Torino, during the 1940s and 1950s.
While the surname DiGilio may not be among the most common in Italy or elsewhere, its history stretches back several centuries and reflects the rich cultural heritage of the regions from which it originated. From artists and writers to merchants and athletes, the DiGilio name has left its imprint on various facets of Italian and global society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Digilio
Among Census respondents with the surname Digilio, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Digilio 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 Digilio surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 575
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 18
- Two or more races2.9% · 18
- Black or African American1.3% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Digilio
Digilio 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
#35,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 643
+4 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 1,404 places
2020
#38,337
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 622
-21 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 3,280 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #33,653 | 639 | 0.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #35,057 | 643 | 0.22 | +4 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 1,404 places |
| 2020 | #38,337 | 622 | 0.21 | -21 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 3,280 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 Digilio 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 | #35,057 | #38,337 | -9.4% |
| Count | 643 | 622 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.22 | 0.21 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Digilio bearers went from 643 to 622 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 3,280 positions in the national ranking, going from #35,057 to #38,337.
FAQ
Digilio surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Digilio?
Name Census estimates that about 713 living Americans carry the surname Digilio. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 480,721 residents.
How common is Digilio?
Digilio ranks #38,337 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 622 people with the surname Digilio. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (713), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Digilio.
Has Digilio become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Digilio went from 643 recorded bearers to 622. That is a decrease of 21 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #35,057 to #38,337.
What does the Census say about the background of Digilio?
Among Census respondents with the surname Digilio, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Digilio in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (575 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Digilio appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Digilio (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 Digilio mean?
A surname derived from the Italian words "di" and "giglio", meaning "of the lily". 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 Digilio (0.21 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 common is the surname Digilio?
Want to know how common the surname Digilio is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.