2000
#6,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,433
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.64
Rare Last name
Digiovanni
An Italian surname referring to a person from or associated with the city of Giovinazzo in southern Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,579 Americans carry the last name Digiovanni. That puts it at #7,955 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,854 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Digiovanni 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
4.6K
1 in 74,854
Census rank
#7,955
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,993 bearers of the surname Digiovanni in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7955th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Digiovanni, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Digiovanni
The surname DiGiovanni originated in Italy, with its roots dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian phrase "di Giovanni," which translates to "of John" or "son of John." This naming convention was common in medieval Italy, where surnames were often formed by combining the father's given name with a prefix or suffix.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname DiGiovanni can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various regions of Italy, such as Sicily, Campania, and Calabria. The name was particularly prevalent in Sicily, where it was associated with noble families and landowners. In the 15th century, the surname was mentioned in Sicilian records, including the Registro della Nobiltà Siciliana, a registry of Sicilian nobility.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname DiGiovanni was Girolamo DiGiovanni, a Sicilian painter and architect who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He was renowned for his work on various churches and palaces in Palermo and other parts of Sicily. Another prominent figure was Pietro DiGiovanni, a 16th-century Italian humanist and scholar who contributed significantly to the study of classical literature and philosophy.
In the 17th century, the surname DiGiovanni appeared in records related to the Spanish Inquisition in Sicily. Several individuals with this surname were persecuted for their religious beliefs during this turbulent period. One such individual was Vincenzo DiGiovanni, a Sicilian nobleman who was imprisoned and eventually executed for his involvement in a rebellion against Spanish rule in the early 17th century.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the DiGiovanni surname became more widely dispersed throughout Italy and beyond. Notable individuals from this period include Giuseppe DiGiovanni, an Italian painter and engraver active in the late 18th century, and Benedetto DiGiovanni, a 19th-century Sicilian politician and philanthropist who served as the mayor of Palermo.
As Italians emigrated to other parts of the world, the surname DiGiovanni also spread to various countries, particularly in North America and South America. Among the notable individuals with this surname in more recent history are Mario DiGiovanni, an American artist and illustrator known for his work in the comics industry, and Guido DiGiovanni, an Italian-Canadian businessman and philanthropist who founded several successful companies in Canada.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Digiovanni
Among Census respondents with the surname Digiovanni, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Digiovanni 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 Digiovanni surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 3,682
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 183
- Two or more races2.3% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 21
- Black or African American0.3% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Digiovanni
Digiovanni 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
#7,420
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,487
+54 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 449 places
2020
#7,955
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,993
-494 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 535 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,971 | 4,433 | 1.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,420 | 4,487 | 1.52 | +54 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 449 places |
| 2020 | #7,955 | 3,993 | 1.34 | -494 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 535 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 Digiovanni 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 | #7,420 | #7,955 | -7.2% |
| Count | 4,487 | 3,993 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.52 | 1.34 | -12.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Digiovanni bearers went from 4,487 to 3,993 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 535 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,420 to #7,955.
FAQ
Digiovanni surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Digiovanni?
Name Census estimates that about 4,579 living Americans carry the surname Digiovanni. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,854 residents.
How common is Digiovanni?
Digiovanni ranks #7,955 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.34 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 3,993 people with the surname Digiovanni. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,579), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.34 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 Digiovanni.
Has Digiovanni become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Digiovanni went from 4,487 recorded bearers to 3,993. That is a decrease of 494 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,420 to #7,955.
What does the Census say about the background of Digiovanni?
Among Census respondents with the surname Digiovanni, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Digiovanni in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (3,682 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Digiovanni appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Digiovanni (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 Digiovanni mean?
An Italian surname referring to a person from or associated with the city of Giovinazzo in southern Italy. 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 Digiovanni (1.34 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 Americans have the surname Digiovanni?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.