2000
#5,329
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,017
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.23
Rare Last name
Donofrio
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who owned or worked in a tavern or inn.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,546 Americans carry the last name Donofrio. That puts it at #5,839 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,361 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Donofrio 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Donofrio with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.5K
1 in 52,361
Census rank
#5,839
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,708 bearers of the surname Donofrio in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5839th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Donofrio, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Donofrio
The surname Donofrio originated in Italy, specifically in the regions of Campania and Basilicata, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin name "Ianufrius" or "Ianuarius," which was a common personal name during the Roman era. The name Ianufrius is believed to have evolved from the Latin "ianua," meaning "door" or "gate," and "frius," meaning "cold" or "frost."
The earliest recorded instances of the name Donofrio can be traced back to the 11th and 12th centuries in various Italian documents and records. One notable example is the mention of a Donofrio di Bisaccia in a manuscript from the Abbey of Montecassino, dated around 1150.
In the 13th century, the name Donofrio appeared in the historical records of the Kingdom of Naples, which ruled over southern Italy at the time. For instance, a nobleman named Donofrio di Montefalcione was mentioned in a royal decree issued by King Charles I of Anjou in 1268.
As the Donofrio surname spread across Italy, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as Donofrio, Donofri, Donofri, and Donofrio. Some of these variations were influenced by regional dialects and local pronunciation.
One notable individual bearing the Donofrio surname was Girolamo Donofrio, a renowned Italian painter born in Naples in 1535. He was known for his religious and mythological works, which adorned numerous churches and palaces in Naples and its surrounding areas.
Another prominent figure was Gian Battista Donofrio, a 16th-century Italian mathematician and astrologer from Campania. He authored several treatises on mathematics and astrology, including "De Calculatione Eclipsium" (On the Calculation of Eclipses), published in 1587.
In the 18th century, Francesco Donofrio (1694-1768) was a celebrated Italian architect and engineer from Basilicata. He designed several notable buildings in Naples, including the Church of San Francesco di Paola and the Palazzo dello Spagnolo.
More recently, Domenico Donofrio (1826-1894) was an Italian painter and lithographer from Campania. He is renowned for his landscapes and depictions of everyday life in Naples.
Another notable individual was Ernesto Donofrio (1886-1953), an Italian politician and lawyer from Basilicata. He served as a member of the Italian Parliament and was actively involved in the political affairs of the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Donofrio
Among Census respondents with the surname Donofrio, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Donofrio 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 Donofrio surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 5,265
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 252
- Two or more races2.0% · 116
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 42
- Black or African American0.4% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Donofrio
Donofrio 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
#5,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,004
-13 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Down 440 places
2020
#5,839
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,708
-296 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.91
Rank movement Down 70 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,329 | 6,017 | 2.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,769 | 6,004 | 2.04 | -13 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 440 places |
| 2020 | #5,839 | 5,708 | 1.91 | -296 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 70 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 Donofrio 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 | #5,769 | #5,839 | -1.2% |
| Count | 6,004 | 5,708 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.04 | 1.91 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Donofrio bearers went from 6,004 to 5,708 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 70 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,769 to #5,839.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Donofrio
FAQ
Donofrio surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Donofrio?
Name Census estimates that about 6,546 living Americans carry the surname Donofrio. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,361 residents.
How common is Donofrio?
Donofrio ranks #5,839 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.91 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 5,708 people with the surname Donofrio. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,546), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.91 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 Donofrio.
Has Donofrio become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Donofrio went from 6,004 recorded bearers to 5,708. That is a decrease of 296 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,769 to #5,839.
What does the Census say about the background of Donofrio?
Among Census respondents with the surname Donofrio, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Donofrio in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (5,265 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Donofrio appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Donofrio (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 Donofrio mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who owned or worked in a tavern or inn. 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 Donofrio (1.91 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 share the surname Donofrio?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.