2000
#11,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,452
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Dileo
Italian occupational surname referring to a person who worked with oil or produced oil, from the Italian "olio".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,665 Americans carry the last name Dileo. That puts it at #12,685 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,613 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dileo 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
2.7K
1 in 128,613
Census rank
#12,685
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,324 bearers of the surname Dileo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12685th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dileo, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dileo
The surname DILEO originated in Italy, with its earliest records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Italian words "di" meaning "from" and "leo" meaning "lion," suggesting that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with lion-like qualities or characteristics.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the DILEO surname can be found in a medieval Italian manuscript from the city of Florence, where a certain Guido DILEO was mentioned as a prominent merchant in the year 1287. This document provides valuable insight into the name's long-standing presence in the region.
During the Renaissance period, the DILEO name gained further prominence, with several notable individuals bearing the surname. One such figure was Francesco DILEO (1455-1521), a renowned painter from the Venetian school, whose works adorned churches and palaces throughout northern Italy.
In the 17th century, the DILEO family established themselves as landowners and nobles in the region of Calabria, southern Italy. Records from this period mention a Niccolò DILEO (1612-1678), who was a respected magistrate and jurist in the city of Reggio Calabria.
As the DILEO name spread across Italy, it also found its way into neighboring regions. In the 18th century, a branch of the family settled in the Dalmatian city of Ragusa (present-day Dubrovnik, Croatia), where they were involved in maritime trade. One notable figure from this period was Luca DILEO (1732-1801), a successful merchant and ship owner.
Moving into the 19th century, the DILEO surname gained recognition in the field of literature. Giuseppe DILEO (1819-1892), a poet and author from Naples, was celebrated for his romantic works that captured the spirit of the city and its people.
Throughout its history, the DILEO surname has been associated with various professions, from artists and writers to merchants and landowners. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Italy, the name has left its mark across multiple regions and continues to carry a rich cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dileo
Among Census respondents with the surname Dileo, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Dileo 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 Dileo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 2,115
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 127
- Two or more races1.6% · 38
- Black or African American1.2% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dileo
Dileo 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
#12,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,535
+83 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 557 places
2020
#12,685
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,324
-211 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 416 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,712 | 2,452 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,269 | 2,535 | 0.86 | +83 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 557 places |
| 2020 | #12,685 | 2,324 | 0.78 | -211 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 416 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 Dileo 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 | #12,269 | #12,685 | -3.4% |
| Count | 2,535 | 2,324 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.78 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dileo bearers went from 2,535 to 2,324 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 416 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,269 to #12,685.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dileo
FAQ
Dileo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dileo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,665 living Americans carry the surname Dileo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,613 residents.
How common is Dileo?
Dileo ranks #12,685 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,324 people with the surname Dileo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,665), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Dileo.
Has Dileo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dileo went from 2,535 recorded bearers to 2,324. That is a decrease of 211 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,269 to #12,685.
What does the Census say about the background of Dileo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dileo, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Dileo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (2,115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dileo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (5.5%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Dileo (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 Dileo mean?
Italian occupational surname referring to a person who worked with oil or produced oil, from the Italian "olio". 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 Dileo (0.78 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 are called Dileo?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Dileo at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.