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

Gioia, 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 Gioia surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gioia in America

Gioia is the 13246th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gioia surname appeared 2,305 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 Gioia.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gioia 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 Gioia

The surname GIOIA originated in Italy, with the earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Italian word "gioia," meaning "joy" or "delight." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname or descriptive surname given to someone with a cheerful or joyful disposition.

The name is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Italy, particularly in the areas around Naples and Campania. It was also prevalent in other parts of southern Italy, such as Calabria and Sicily. In these regions, the name was sometimes spelled as "Gioya" or "Joya" in earlier records.

One of the earliest known references to the surname GIOIA can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico Barese," a collection of historical documents from the region of Bari, dating back to the 12th century. This collection contains several references to individuals with the surname GIOIA, indicating the name's presence in the area during that time.

In the 13th century, a notable figure named Ruggiero GIOIA, also known as Ruggero di Gioia, was a famous navigator and cartographer from the town of Gioia del Colle in the Apulia region of southern Italy. He is credited with the invention of the modern mariner's compass, which revolutionized navigation at sea.

Another prominent individual with the surname GIOIA was Melchiorre GIOIA, a 19th-century Italian philosopher, economist, and historian. He was born in Piacenza in 1767 and is best known for his work "Nuovo prospetto delle scienze economiche" (New Prospect of Economic Sciences), which was influential in the field of political economy.

In the 15th century, a family named GIOIA owned a castle in the town of Gioia del Colle, which was formerly known as "Joya." This suggests that the name may have been derived from or associated with this particular place name.

Other notable individuals with the surname GIOIA include:

1. Nicola GIOIA (1798-1859), an Italian composer and music teacher from Naples.
2. Saverio GIOIA (1887-1963), an Italian painter and sculptor from Calabria.
3. Girolamo GIOIA (1567-1621), an Italian mathematician and astronomer from Naples.
4. Giovanni Battista GIOIA (1595-1667), an Italian architect and engineer from Milan.
5. Francesco GIOIA (1888-1962), an Italian politician and journalist from Calabria.

These examples illustrate the historical presence and significance of the surname GIOIA across various regions of Italy, spanning different time periods and fields of endeavor.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gioia

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

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

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

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