2000
#3,961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,228
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.05
Rare Last name
Bianco
An Italian surname referring to a person with white or fair hair, complexion, or clothing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,854 Americans carry the last name Bianco. That puts it at #4,454 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,712 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bianco 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 Bianco with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.9K
1 in 38,712
Census rank
#4,454
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,721 bearers of the surname Bianco in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4454th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bianco, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bianco
The surname Bianco originated in Italy, specifically in the regions of Tuscany, Lombardy, and Sicily. It is derived from the Italian word "bianco," meaning "white." This surname likely emerged as a descriptive nickname referring to someone with pale or fair complexion or hair color.
In medieval times, surnames often arose from physical characteristics, occupations, or places of origin. The use of Bianco as a surname can be traced back to the 12th century, with records showing it in various Italian cities and regions.
One of the earliest documented mentions of the Bianco surname is in the historic Codice Diplomatico Longobardo, a collection of legal documents from the Lombard era in Italy, dating back to the 8th century. This manuscript includes references to individuals with the surname Bianco, suggesting its long-standing presence in the Italian peninsula.
The surname Bianco has been associated with notable individuals throughout history. One such figure is Guglielmo Bianco, a 13th-century Italian philosopher and theologian from the city of Anagni. Another prominent bearer of the name was Andrea Bianco, a renowned cartographer from Venice who lived in the late 14th and early 15th centuries, creating several influential maps of the known world at the time.
In the realm of art, the Bianco surname is represented by Giovanni Battista Bianco, a 16th-century Italian painter born in Udine in 1536. His works can be found in various churches and galleries across Italy.
Moving to the literary world, Michele Bianco, born in 1723 in Naples, was a celebrated poet and playwright whose works gained popularity during the 18th century. His plays were performed in theaters throughout Italy, contributing to the cultural landscape of the time.
Another notable figure was Vincenzo Bianco, a 19th-century Italian politician and statesman born in Palermo in 1835. He served as a member of the Italian Parliament and played a significant role in the political affairs of post-unification Italy.
The Bianco surname has also been associated with various place names and older spellings throughout its history. For example, the town of Bianco in the province of Reggio Calabria, as well as the Biancolungo and Biancoverme localities in Sicily, likely have connections to the surname's origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bianco
Among Census respondents with the surname Bianco, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bianco 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 Bianco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.0% · 6,484
- Hispanic or Latino12.5% · 963
- Two or more races2.1% · 162
- Black or African American0.7% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bianco
Bianco 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
#2,381
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,278
+7,050 bearers (+85.7%)
Per 100,000 5.18
Rank movement Up 1,580 places
2020
#4,454
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,721
-7,557 bearers (-49.5%)
Per 100,000 2.58
Rank movement Down 2,073 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,961 | 8,228 | 3.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,381 | 15,278 | 5.18 | +7,050 bearers (+85.7%) | Up 1,580 places |
| 2020 | #4,454 | 7,721 | 2.58 | -7,557 bearers (-49.5%) | Down 2,073 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 Bianco 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 | #2,381 | #4,454 | -87.1% |
| Count | 15,278 | 7,721 | -49.5% |
| Per 100K | 5.18 | 2.58 | -50.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bianco bearers went from 15,278 to 7,721 (-49.5% change). The surname moved down 2,073 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,381 to #4,454.
FAQ
Bianco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bianco?
Name Census estimates that about 8,854 living Americans carry the surname Bianco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,712 residents.
How common is Bianco?
Bianco ranks #4,454 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,721 people with the surname Bianco. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,854), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Bianco.
Has Bianco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bianco went from 15,278 recorded bearers to 7,721. That is a decrease of 7,557 (-49.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,381 to #4,454.
What does the Census say about the background of Bianco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bianco, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Bianco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.0% (6,484 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bianco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.0%), Hispanic (12.5%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Bianco (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 Bianco mean?
An Italian surname referring to a person with white or fair hair, complexion, or clothing. 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 Bianco (2.58 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 Americans have the surname Bianco?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.