2000
#12,773
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,217
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Dimatteo
An Italian surname referring to a person from the city of Matteo or a descendant of someone named Matteo.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,589 Americans carry the last name Dimatteo. That puts it at #13,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 132,389 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dimatteo 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
2.6K
1 in 132,389
Census rank
#13,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,258 bearers of the surname Dimatteo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dimatteo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dimatteo
Among Census respondents with the surname Dimatteo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Dimatteo 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 Dimatteo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 2,050
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 137
- Two or more races2.1% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dimatteo
Dimatteo 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
#13,091
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,343
+126 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 318 places
2020
#13,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,258
-85 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 86 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,773 | 2,217 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,091 | 2,343 | 0.79 | +126 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 318 places |
| 2020 | #13,005 | 2,258 | 0.76 | -85 bearers (-3.6%) | Up 86 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 Dimatteo 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 | #13,091 | #13,005 | 0.7% |
| Count | 2,343 | 2,258 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.76 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dimatteo bearers went from 2,343 to 2,258 (-3.6% change). The surname moved up 86 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,091 to #13,005.
FAQ
Dimatteo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dimatteo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,589 living Americans carry the surname Dimatteo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 132,389 residents.
How common is Dimatteo?
Dimatteo ranks #13,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,258 people with the surname Dimatteo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,589), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Dimatteo.
Has Dimatteo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dimatteo went from 2,343 recorded bearers to 2,258. That is a decrease of 85 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,091 to #13,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Dimatteo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dimatteo, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Dimatteo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (2,050 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dimatteo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (6.1%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Dimatteo (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 Dimatteo mean?
An Italian surname referring to a person from the city of Matteo or a descendant of someone named Matteo. 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 Dimatteo (0.76 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 Dimatteo?
See how many people have the surname Dimatteo on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.