2000
#16,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,646
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.61
Rare Last name
Dimaio
A surname of Italian origin meaning "from May".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,155 Americans carry the last name Dimaio. That puts it at #15,076 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 159,051 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dimaio 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Dimaio with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 159,051
Census rank
#15,076
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,879 bearers of the surname Dimaio in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15076th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dimaio, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dimaio
The surname DiMaio has its origins in Italy, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Italian region of Campania, specifically in the area around Naples. The name is derived from the Latin words "di" and "maio," which translate to "of May." This suggests that the name may have been associated with a person born or notable during the month of May.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DiMaio can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Normanno, a collection of medieval documents from the Norman Kingdom of Sicily, which ruled parts of southern Italy during the 11th and 12th centuries. The name appears in several records from this period, indicating its presence in the region.
The surname DiMaio has also been linked to various place names in Italy, such as Maiori, a town located on the Amalfi Coast. The town's name is derived from the Latin word "maior," meaning "greater," which could have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Among the notable historical figures with the surname DiMaio was Girolamo DiMaio, a 16th-century Italian painter known for his religious works. He was born in Naples in 1544 and died in 1621. Another prominent individual was Antonio DiMaio, a 17th-century Neapolitan composer and violinist who lived from 1660 to 1738.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe DiMaio was a prominent Italian politician and lawyer from Naples. He played a significant role in the unification of Italy and served as a member of the Italian Parliament from 1861 to 1876.
The DiMaio surname was also carried by notable figures in the arts and literature. Vincenzo DiMaio, born in 1877 and died in 1958, was an Italian painter and sculptor known for his works depicting scenes from Neapolitan life.
Additionally, the name DiMaio appears in historical records from other parts of Italy, suggesting that the surname may have spread beyond its original region over time. For example, there are records of individuals with the surname DiMaio in Sicily and other southern Italian regions.
While the surname DiMaio has its roots in Italy, it has since been carried by individuals of Italian descent across the world, particularly in regions with significant Italian immigration, such as the United States, Canada, and Argentina.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dimaio
Among Census respondents with the surname Dimaio, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dimaio 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 Dimaio surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 1,700
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 99
- Two or more races2.9% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 19
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dimaio
Dimaio 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
#16,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,750
+104 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 290 places
2020
#15,076
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,879
+129 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 1,361 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,147 | 1,646 | 0.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,437 | 1,750 | 0.59 | +104 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 290 places |
| 2020 | #15,076 | 1,879 | 0.63 | +129 bearers (+7.4%) | Up 1,361 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 Dimaio 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 | #16,437 | #15,076 | 8.3% |
| Count | 1,750 | 1,879 | 7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.59 | 0.63 | 6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dimaio bearers went from 1,750 to 1,879 (+7.4% change). The surname moved up 1,361 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,437 to #15,076.
FAQ
Dimaio surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dimaio?
Name Census estimates that about 2,155 living Americans carry the surname Dimaio. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 159,051 residents.
How common is Dimaio?
Dimaio ranks #15,076 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,879 people with the surname Dimaio. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,155), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Dimaio.
Has Dimaio become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dimaio went from 1,750 recorded bearers to 1,879. That is an increase of 129 (+7.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,437 to #15,076.
What does the Census say about the background of Dimaio?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dimaio, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) 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 Dimaio in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (1,700 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dimaio appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (5.3%), 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 Dimaio (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 Dimaio mean?
A surname of Italian origin meaning "from May". 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 Dimaio (0.63 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 last name Dimaio?
Want to know how many people have the last name Dimaio? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.