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

Donato, 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 Donato surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Donato in America

Donato is the 4533rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Donato surname appeared 7,823 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Donato.

We can also compare 2010 data for Donato 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 Donato

The surname "DONATO" is of Italian origin, derived from the medieval Latin name "Donatus," which means "given" or "granted." This name has its roots in the ancient Roman era and was a popular Christian name during the Middle Ages.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Donato can be traced back to the 12th century in various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Veneto, and Sicily. The name was particularly prevalent in the cities of Florence, Venice, and Palermo, where it was associated with prominent families and individuals.

One notable historical reference to the name Donato is found in the 14th-century literary work "The Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri. In this epic poem, Dante mentions a character named Donato degli Alberti, a member of a powerful Florentine family.

In the 15th century, a renowned Italian humanist and scholar, Pietro Donato (1387-1457), gained recognition for his contributions to the study of ancient Greek and Latin literature. His works played a significant role in the Renaissance movement.

During the 16th century, the name Donato was associated with the Venetian painter Jacopo Donato (also known as Jacopo Tintoretto), one of the most influential figures in Venetian Renaissance art (1518-1594).

Another notable individual with the surname Donato was Baldassare Donato (1548-1617), a Venetian diplomat and historian who served as the ambassador of the Republic of Venice to various European courts.

In the 18th century, Donato Felice Antonio Alghisi (1675-1742), an Italian composer and musician, made significant contributions to the development of vocal and instrumental music in Venice.

The name Donato has also been associated with various place names and geographic locations throughout Italy, such as the town of Donato in the province of Biella, Piedmont, and the village of Donato di Lecce in the Apulia region.

Throughout its long history, the surname Donato has been linked to individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, diplomats, and musicians, reflecting the cultural richness and diversity of Italy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Donato

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

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

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

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