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

DiStefano, 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 DiStefano surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of DiStefano in America

DiStefano is the 5691st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The DiStefano surname appeared 6,091 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname DiStefano.

We can also compare 2010 data for DiStefano 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 DiStefano

The surname DiStefano is of Italian origin, specifically from the regions of Sicily and Calabria. It can be traced back to the 11th century and is believed to derive from the Greek name Stephanos, meaning "crown" or "wreath." The prefix "Di" was commonly added to surnames in Southern Italy, indicating a patronymic form or a place of origin.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Sicilian town of Militello Val di Catania, where a nobleman named Stefano di Stefano is mentioned in a document dated 1235. This suggests that the surname likely emerged as a way to distinguish between different individuals named Stefano within the same community.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the DiStefano name appeared in various historical records and manuscripts in Sicily and Calabria. For example, a Gaspare DiStefano was recorded as a landowner in the town of Reggio Calabria in 1387.

In the 15th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Girolamo DiStefano (1420-1492), a renowned poet and scholar from Messina, Sicily. His works, which included sonnets and lyric poetry, were widely acclaimed and contributed to the cultural renaissance of the time.

Another notable figure was Antonio DiStefano (1556-1634), a Sicilian architect and engineer who was responsible for the construction of several important buildings and fortifications in Palermo, including the Palazzo Reale and parts of the city's defensive walls.

The DiStefano name continued to be associated with influential individuals throughout the centuries. In the 18th century, Giuseppe DiStefano (1718-1792) was a prominent lawyer and politician from Catania, who served as a judge in the Sicilian parliament and played a significant role in the island's legal and political affairs.

During the 19th century, the DiStefano family produced several notable artists and intellectuals, such as the painter Vincenzo DiStefano (1813-1877) from Messina, whose works captured the landscapes and daily life of Sicily. Another prominent figure was the philosopher and writer Carmelo DiStefano (1851-1927), who was born in Agrigento and made significant contributions to the fields of epistemology and ethics.

Throughout its history, the surname DiStefano has been associated with various place names and variations in spelling, such as Distefano, De Stefano, and Di Stefano, reflecting the linguistic diversity and regional variations within Italy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name DiStefano

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

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

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

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