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

Giovanni, 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 Giovanni surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Giovanni in America

Giovanni is the 28679th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Giovanni surname appeared 831 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Giovanni.

We can also compare 2010 data for Giovanni 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 Giovanni

The surname Giovanni originates from Italy and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian personal name Giovanni, which is the Italian equivalent of the English name John. The name Giovanni itself is derived from the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious."

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Giovanni can be traced back to the 12th century in various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio. The name was particularly prevalent among the noble and aristocratic families of these regions.

One of the earliest documented bearers of the surname Giovanni was Pietro Giovanni, a prominent merchant and banker from Florence, who lived in the 13th century. His family played a significant role in the economic and political affairs of the city during that time.

In the 14th century, the name Giovanni appeared in several historical records, including the "Codice Diplomatico della Repubblica di Genova," a collection of diplomatic documents from the Republic of Genoa. One notable figure from this era was Francesco Giovanni, a Genoese statesman and diplomat who served as an ambassador to the court of King Edward III of England in the 1340s.

During the Renaissance period, the surname Giovanni gained further prominence, particularly in the arts and literature. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375), an Italian writer and poet best known for his masterpiece, the "Decameron."

Another notable figure was Giovanni Bellini (c. 1430-1516), a Venetian Renaissance painter renowned for his iconic works, such as the "San Zaccaria Altarpiece" and "The Feast of the Gods." His contributions to the Venetian school of painting were highly influential.

In the field of science, Giovanni Battista Riccioli (1598-1671), an Italian astronomer and philosopher, made significant contributions to the study of astronomy. He is best known for his work "Almagestum Novum," a comprehensive treatise on astronomy published in 1651.

Moving forward in time, Giovanni Verga (1840-1922) was a celebrated Italian writer and one of the foremost figures of the Italian literary movement known as Verismo. His novels and short stories, such as "I Malavoglia" and "Mastro-don Gesualdo," portrayed the harsh realities of life in rural Sicily with vivid realism.

These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals who have carried the surname Giovanni throughout history, reflecting the rich cultural and intellectual heritage associated with this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Giovanni

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

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

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

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