2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Baldessari
An Italian surname derived from the name Baldassare or Balthasar, meaning "prince or lord".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Baldessari. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baldessari 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Baldessari in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baldessari, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baldessari
The surname Baldessari is of Italian origin, originating in the northern regions of the country, particularly in the areas around Milan. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "baldo," meaning "bold" or "fearless," combined with the suffix "-ari," indicating an occupation or trade. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who exhibited a bold or courageous demeanor, perhaps in a specific profession or trade.
The earliest recorded instances of the Baldessari name can be traced back to the 13th century in various historical documents and records from the Lombardy region of Italy. One notable mention is found in the "Codice Diplomatico Milanese" (Diplomatic Code of Milan), a collection of medieval documents from the city of Milan, where the name appears in reference to a family of landowners and merchants.
In the 14th century, the Baldessari name gained prominence in the city of Cremona, where a branch of the family established itself as influential citizens and patrons of the arts. Historical records from this period, such as the "Annali di Cremona" (Annals of Cremona), mention several individuals bearing the Baldessari surname, including Guglielmo Baldessari, a renowned lawyer and diplomat who served as an ambassador for the city in the late 1300s.
The name also appears in various ecclesiastical records from the 15th and 16th centuries, indicating that members of the Baldessari family held positions within the Catholic Church. One notable figure was Giovanni Battista Baldessari, a Milanese bishop who lived in the late 16th century and was known for his philanthropic endeavors and patronage of the arts.
As the Baldessari family spread throughout Italy over the centuries, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Baldessari, Baldessari, Baldessarri, and Baldessarro. These variations often reflected regional dialects and linguistic influences.
In the 19th century, the Baldessari surname gained international recognition with the birth of the Italian painter and conceptual artist, John Baldessari (1931-2020). Born in California to Italian immigrant parents, Baldessari became a pioneering figure in the conceptual art movement and was widely celebrated for his innovative and thought-provoking works.
Other notable individuals bearing the Baldessari surname include:
1. Vincenzo Baldessari (1801-1860), an Italian composer and music teacher who served as the director of the Conservatorio di Musica in Milan.
2. Giuseppe Baldessari (1766-1838), an Italian architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Milan and its surrounding areas.
3. Adriana Baldessari (born 1955), an Italian actress and television personality known for her roles in various Italian films and TV series.
4. Giancarlo Baldessari (born 1936), an Italian retired professional football player who played as a defender for several top-tier Italian clubs in the 1950s and 1960s.
5. Luca Baldessari (born 1984), an Italian professional basketball player who has played for various teams in the Italian Lega Basket Serie A and the EuroLeague.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baldessari
Among Census respondents with the surname Baldessari, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Baldessari 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 Baldessari surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.3% · 83
- Hispanic or Latino16.0% · 17
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baldessari
Baldessari 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+18 bearers (+17.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,791 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-15 bearers (-12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,035 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+17.5%) | Up 8,791 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-12.4%) | Down 14,035 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 Baldessari 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 | #138,304 | #152,339 | -10.1% |
| Count | 121 | 106 | -12.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baldessari bearers went from 121 to 106 (-12.4% change). The surname moved down 14,035 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #152,339.
FAQ
Baldessari surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baldessari?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Baldessari. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Baldessari?
Baldessari ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 106 people with the surname Baldessari. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Baldessari.
Has Baldessari become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baldessari went from 121 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 15 (-12.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Baldessari?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baldessari, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Baldessari in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.3% (83 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baldessari appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.3%), Hispanic (16.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Baldessari (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 Baldessari mean?
An Italian surname derived from the name Baldassare or Balthasar, meaning "prince or lord". 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 Baldessari (0.04 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 Baldessari?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.