Show ContentsDestefano History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Destefano surname comes from the personal name Stefano, which is the Italian form of the Latin name Stephanus.

Early Origins of the Destefano family

The surname Destefano was first found in Bolgna (Latin: Bononia), the largest city and the capital of Emilia-Romagna Region. The famous University of Bolgna was founded in the 11th century, by the 13th century the student body was nearly 10,000. Dante and Petrarch studied there. Tisso was tried there for 1564 for writing satirical poems. Bologna naturally, is famous for its sausages. But many noted scholars were born there. In those ancient times only persons of rank, the podesta, clergy, city officials, army officers, artists, landowners were entered into the records. To be recorded at this time was in itself a family honor.

Early History of the Destefano family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Destefano research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1375, 1417, 1460, 1645 and 1710 are included under the topic Early Destefano History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Destefano Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Steffani, Stefano, Stefan, Stifano, Stevani, Stiévano, Stiévan, Schhivani, Stépan, Stéfanis, Stefanich, Stepanich and many more.

Early Notables of the Destefano family

More information is included under the topic Early Destefano Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Destefano Ranking

In the United States, the name Destefano is the 6,447th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [1]


United States Destefano migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Destefano Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Frank P. Destefano, who settled in Cincinnati in 1869

Contemporary Notables of the name Destefano (post 1700) +

  • Michael DeStefano, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1972, 1980 [2]
  • John DeStefano Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of New Haven, Connecticut, 1994-Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Connecticut, 1996, 2004, 2008 [3]
  • Carmen DeStefano, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 2000 [4]
  • Anthony DeStefano (b. 1966), American author of the spiritual books
  • John DeStefano (d. 2008), American sculptor and painter
  • Mike DeStefano (1966-2011), American stand-up comedian
  • John DeStefano Jr. (b. 1955), American politician, Mayor of New Haven, Connecticut
  • Giulio De Stefano (1929-2023), Italian bronze medalist sailor at the 1960 Summer Olympics
  • Victoria de Stefano (1940-2023), Italian-born, Venezuelan novelist, essayist, philosopher and educator


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) Michael DeStefano. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) John DeStefano. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) Carmen DeStefano. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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