Frequency: (217)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
Southern Italian (Naples and Sicily): from a short form of the personal name Donadeo, meaning ‘dedicated to God’, or perhaps a nickname for someone who habitually used this as a valedictory expression.
GIVEN NAMES: Italian 13%. Salvatore (3), Carmine, Nicola, Rocco, Sal, Santo.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
