2000
#4,945
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,521
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.42
Rare Last name
Damato
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who tames or trains horses.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,118 Americans carry the last name Damato. That puts it at #5,429 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,153 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Damato 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
7.1K
1 in 48,153
Census rank
#5,429
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,207 bearers of the surname Damato in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5429th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Damato, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Damato
The surname Damato is of Italian origin, tracing its roots back to the southern regions of the country, particularly around Naples and Calabria. It emerged during the medieval period, likely between the 11th and 13th centuries.
One theory suggests that Damato derives from the Italian word "dama," meaning "lady" or "noblewoman," indicating that the original bearer may have been a servant or attendant to a noble household. Another possibility is that it stems from the Latin word "domatus," meaning "tamed" or "subdued," perhaps referring to someone with a calm or gentle demeanor.
Some early recorded instances of the name can be found in historical documents from the 14th and 15th centuries. For instance, a certain Gianfranco Damato was mentioned in a 1387 land registry record in the town of Salerno, near Naples. Additionally, a Genoese merchant named Giacomo Damato was listed in a trade ledger from 1452, suggesting that the name had spread to other parts of Italy by that time.
In the 16th century, the name appears to have been particularly prevalent in the town of Scalea, located in the province of Cosenza, Calabria. Historical records from that era mention several individuals with the surname, including a Nicola Damato, a landowner born around 1520, and a Francesco Damato, a local magistrate who lived from approximately 1560 to 1628.
One notable bearer of the name was the Italian painter and engraver Giovanni Battista Damato, who lived between 1555 and 1637. He was known for his religious works and portraits, many of which can still be found in churches and galleries throughout southern Italy.
Another figure of historical significance was Matteo Damato, a military commander who fought alongside Giuseppe Garibaldi during the Italian unification movement of the 19th century. Born in Calabria in 1820, Damato played a crucial role in several battles, including the Expedition of the Thousand in 1860, which ultimately led to the creation of the Kingdom of Italy.
As Italian immigrants began to settle in other parts of the world, the surname Damato spread to various countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. However, its prevalence remains highest in Italy, particularly in the southern regions where it originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Damato
Among Census respondents with the surname Damato, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Damato 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 Damato surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 5,635
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 340
- Two or more races2.2% · 135
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 60
- Black or African American0.3% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Damato
Damato 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
#5,144
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,804
+283 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 2.31
Rank movement Down 199 places
2020
#5,429
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,207
-597 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Down 285 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,945 | 6,521 | 2.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,144 | 6,804 | 2.31 | +283 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 199 places |
| 2020 | #5,429 | 6,207 | 2.08 | -597 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 285 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 Damato 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 | #5,144 | #5,429 | -5.5% |
| Count | 6,804 | 6,207 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.31 | 2.08 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Damato bearers went from 6,804 to 6,207 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 285 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,144 to #5,429.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Damato
FAQ
Damato surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Damato?
Name Census estimates that about 7,118 living Americans carry the surname Damato. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,153 residents.
How common is Damato?
Damato ranks #5,429 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,207 people with the surname Damato. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Damato.
Has Damato become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Damato went from 6,804 recorded bearers to 6,207. That is a decrease of 597 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,144 to #5,429.
What does the Census say about the background of Damato?
Among Census respondents with the surname Damato, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Damato in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (5,635 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Damato appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (5.5%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Damato (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 Damato mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who tames or trains horses. 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 Damato (2.08 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 many Americans have the surname Damato?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.