2000
#8,169
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,733
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.38
Rare Last name
Basso
An Italian occupational surname referring to a low-voiced singer or someone who sings bass.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,093 Americans carry the last name Basso. That puts it at #8,817 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,742 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Basso 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Basso with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 83,742
Census rank
#8,817
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,569 bearers of the surname Basso in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8817th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Basso, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Basso
Among Census respondents with the surname Basso, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Basso 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 Basso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 3,084
- Hispanic or Latino8.4% · 299
- Two or more races2.7% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 46
- Black or African American0.9% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Basso
Basso 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
#8,144
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,070
+337 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Up 25 places
2020
#8,817
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,569
-501 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Down 673 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,169 | 3,733 | 1.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,144 | 4,070 | 1.38 | +337 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 25 places |
| 2020 | #8,817 | 3,569 | 1.19 | -501 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 673 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 Basso 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 | #8,144 | #8,817 | -8.3% |
| Count | 4,070 | 3,569 | -12.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.38 | 1.19 | -13.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Basso bearers went from 4,070 to 3,569 (-12.3% change). The surname moved down 673 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,144 to #8,817.
FAQ
Basso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Basso?
Name Census estimates that about 4,093 living Americans carry the surname Basso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,742 residents.
How common is Basso?
Basso ranks #8,817 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,569 people with the surname Basso. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,093), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Basso.
Has Basso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Basso went from 4,070 recorded bearers to 3,569. That is a decrease of 501 (-12.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,144 to #8,817.
What does the Census say about the background of Basso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Basso, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Basso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (3,084 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Basso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Hispanic (8.4%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Basso (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 Basso mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a low-voiced singer or someone who sings bass. 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 Basso (1.19 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 share the surname Basso?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.