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

DiMatteo, 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 DiMatteo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of DiMatteo in America

DiMatteo is the 13091st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The DiMatteo surname appeared 2,343 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 DiMatteo.

We can also compare 2010 data for DiMatteo 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 DiMatteo

The surname DiMatteo has its origins in Italy, tracing back to the medieval period around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the personal name Matteo, which itself comes from the Hebrew name Matityahu, meaning "gift of God." The prefix "Di" signifies "from" or "of" in Italian, suggesting the name originally referred to someone who was the son of a person named Matteo.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname DiMatteo can be found in the historical archives of the city of Naples, where a certain Guglielmo DiMatteo is mentioned in a document dated 1289. This suggests that the surname was already in use in the southern Italian region of Campania during the late 13th century.

In the 14th century, records show that the DiMatteo family had established a presence in the town of Salerno, also located in Campania. A certain Nicola DiMatteo is mentioned in a land deed from 1327, indicating that members of the family had achieved a level of wealth and status at that time.

As the DiMatteo surname spread across Italy in the following centuries, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as DiMattei, DiMattea, and DiMattia. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of local scribes.

One notable individual bearing the DiMatteo surname was Giacomo DiMatteo, a renowned painter and architect who was active in the city of Genoa in the late 16th century. Some of his works can still be admired in churches and palaces throughout the region.

Another figure of historical significance was Antonio DiMatteo, a philosopher and theologian who lived in Naples during the 17th century. He authored several influential treatises on ethics and moral philosophy, which were widely studied in academic circles of the time.

In the 19th century, a Giuseppe DiMatteo gained recognition as a pioneering inventor in the field of early telecommunications. Born in 1823 in the town of Bari, he is credited with developing an early version of the telegraph, which he presented to the Accademia delle Scienze in Naples in 1854.

Towards the end of the 19th century, the surname DiMatteo also gained prominence in the United States, as many Italian immigrants bearing the name arrived in the country, particularly in the northeastern region. One such immigrant was Vincenzo DiMatteo, who settled in New York City in 1892 and went on to establish a successful construction business.

Throughout its history, the surname DiMatteo has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, inventors, and entrepreneurs, reflecting the diverse contributions made by those bearing this Italian surname over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name DiMatteo

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

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

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

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