2000
#25,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 905
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.34
Rare Last name
Dente
An Italian surname likely derived from the word "dente" meaning "tooth".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,016 Americans carry the last name Dente. That puts it at #28,606 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 337,357 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dente 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
1.0K
1 in 337,357
Census rank
#28,606
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
886
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 886 bearers of the surname Dente in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 28606th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dente, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Black (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dente
The surname Dente originates from Italy, specifically the northern regions of Lombardy and Piedmont. Its origins can be traced back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "dente," meaning "tooth," and may have initially referred to someone with prominent or distinctive teeth.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Dente is found in the "Libro dei Battezzati" (Book of Baptisms) of the Commune of Pavia, dated 1279, where a certain "Jacobus Dente" is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already in use during the late 13th century in the Lombardy region.
In the 14th century, the surname Dente appeared in several historical records, including the "Codice Diplomatico Longobardo" (Lombard Diplomatic Code), which contains documents from various cities in Lombardy. One notable mention is a "Petrus Dente" from Milan in 1342.
The Dente surname has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest known was Guglielmo Dente (c. 1250-1325), a renowned Genoese navigator and cartographer who is credited with creating one of the earliest known portolan charts, a type of nautical map.
Another prominent individual was Vincenzo Dente (1520-1576), an Italian engraver and printmaker from Mantua, known for his intricate and detailed engravings of works by Raphael, Michelangelo, and other Renaissance masters.
In the literary world, Gherardo Dente (1554-1622) was a Italian poet and writer from Bologna, best known for his pastoral poetry and his work "La Pazza Savia" (The Wise Madwoman), a collection of novellas.
Moving to the 18th century, there was Vincenzo Dente (1736-1815), an Italian architect and engineer from Turin, who designed several notable buildings in his hometown, including the Church of San Francesco da Paola.
More recently, Gianfranco Dente (1938-2017) was an Italian film director and screenwriter, known for his collaborations with directors like Federico Fellini and Pier Paolo Pasolini.
While the surname Dente has its roots in northern Italy, it has since spread to other regions and countries, carried by migration and diaspora. However, its origins and historical significance remain firmly rooted in the Italian peninsula, particularly in the regions of Lombardy and Piedmont.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dente
Among Census respondents with the surname Dente, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Black (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Dente 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 Dente surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 782
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 43
- Black or African American2.6% · 23
- Two or more races2.4% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dente
Dente 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
#27,303
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 885
-20 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Down 1,693 places
2020
#28,606
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 886
+1 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Down 1,303 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,610 | 905 | 0.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #27,303 | 885 | 0.30 | -20 bearers (-2.2%) | Down 1,693 places |
| 2020 | #28,606 | 886 | 0.30 | +1 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 1,303 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 Dente 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 | #27,303 | #28,606 | -4.8% |
| Count | 885 | 886 | 0.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.30 | 0.30 | -1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dente bearers went from 885 to 886 (+0.1% change). The surname moved down 1,303 positions in the national ranking, going from #27,303 to #28,606.
FAQ
Dente surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dente?
Name Census estimates that about 1,016 living Americans carry the surname Dente. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 337,357 residents.
How common is Dente?
Dente ranks #28,606 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 886 people with the surname Dente. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,016), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Dente.
Has Dente become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dente went from 885 recorded bearers to 886. That is an increase of 1 (+0.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #27,303 to #28,606.
What does the Census say about the background of Dente?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dente, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Black (2.6%). 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 Dente in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (782 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dente appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Hispanic (4.9%), Black (2.6%). 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 Dente (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 Dente mean?
An Italian surname likely derived from the word "dente" meaning "tooth". 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 Dente (0.30 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 people have the surname Dente?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.