Find out how popular the last name Basso is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Basso.

Basso, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Basso surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Basso in America

Basso is the 8144th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Basso surname appeared 4,070 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Basso.

We can also compare 2010 data for Basso to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Basso

The surname Basso has its origins in Italy, where it first emerged as a nickname during the medieval period. Derived from the Italian word "basso," meaning "short" or "low," the name initially referred to a person of small stature or someone who lived in a low-lying area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Florentine Renaissance writer and humanist, Poggio Bracciolini (1380-1459), who mentions a "Jacobo Basso" in his writings. Another early reference appears in the Codice Diplomatico Longobardo, a collection of Lombard documents dating back to the 8th century, where a "Petrus Bassus" is listed.

During the 12th century, the name Basso began to spread across Italy, with various branches emerging in different regions. For instance, the Basso family from Genoa held significant influence, and one of its members, Sinibaldo Basso (c. 1195-1248), served as a notable jurist and diplomat.

In the 14th century, the name gained prominence in Venice, where the Basso family played a prominent role in the city's politics and cultural life. One of the most famous figures from this lineage was the celebrated architect and sculptor, Andrea Basso (c. 1335-1415), who contributed to the construction of the iconic St. Mark's Basilica.

Another notable individual bearing the surname Basso was the Italian composer and violinist, Giovanni Battista Basso (c. 1630-1699), who was renowned for his contributions to the development of the concerto grosso form during the Baroque period.

In the literary world, the name Basso is associated with the Italian writer and philosopher, Sebastiano Basso (1584-1657), who authored several works on ethics and metaphysics.

The name Basso also has connections to various place names in Italy, such as Bassano del Grappa, a town in the province of Vicenza, and Bassano Bresciano, a municipality in the province of Brescia. These locations may have influenced the spread and evolution of the surname in different regions.

While the surname Basso is primarily associated with Italy, it has also been adopted in other parts of the world, particularly in regions with significant Italian immigration, such as the United States, Argentina, and Brazil.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Basso

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Basso.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Basso was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Basso has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Basso was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Basso, please contact us.

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