2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bambace
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "bambace" meaning cotton.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Bambace. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bambace 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Bambace in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bambace, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bambace
The surname Bambace has its origins in Italy, dating back to around the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Italian word "bambagia," which means "cotton." The name likely referred to individuals who were involved in the cultivation or trade of cotton.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bambace can be found in a document from the city of Palermo, Sicily, in 1230. The document mentions a merchant named Giovanni Bambace, who was involved in the import and export of cotton and other textiles.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in records from the city of Naples, where a family of Bambace nobility resided. This family was known for their involvement in local politics and their patronage of the arts.
During the Renaissance period, several notable individuals bore the surname Bambace. Ludovico Bambace (1460-1521) was a renowned scholar and humanist from Naples, who wrote extensively on philosophy and literature. His contemporary, Antonio Bambace (1472-1538), was a skilled architect and engineer who contributed to the design of several churches and palaces in Naples.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Bambace family settled in the town of Caserta, near Naples. One member of this branch, Giuseppe Bambace (1638-1712), was a celebrated painter who worked in the Baroque style.
Another notable figure with the surname Bambace was Domenico Bambace (1785-1860), a prominent lawyer and judge from Calabria. He played a significant role in the Italian unification movement and was a staunch advocate for legal reform.
Over the centuries, the surname Bambace has also been found in various spellings, such as Bambaci, Bambacio, and Bambacioni, reflecting the regional variations in Italian dialects.
While the surname Bambace is not among the most common Italian surnames today, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and has contributed to various fields, including commerce, arts, architecture, law, and politics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bambace
Among Census respondents with the surname Bambace, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bambace 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 Bambace surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino10.5% · 12
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bambace
Bambace 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
+8 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,521 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-7 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,191 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 1,521 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 8,191 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 Bambace 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 | #146,495 | -5.9% |
| Count | 121 | 114 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bambace bearers went from 121 to 114 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 8,191 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #146,495.
FAQ
Bambace surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bambace?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Bambace. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Bambace?
Bambace ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Bambace. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Bambace.
Has Bambace become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bambace went from 121 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Bambace?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bambace, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Bambace in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bambace appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Hispanic (10.5%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Bambace (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 Bambace mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "bambace" meaning cotton. 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 Bambace (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 last name Bambace?
See how many people have the last name Bambace on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.