2010
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bobbio
A locational surname originating from the town of Bobbio, Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Bobbio. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bobbio 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Bobbio in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bobbio, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (43.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bobbio
The surname Bobbio originated in northern Italy, specifically in the Piedmont region. It is derived from the place name Bobbio, which is a town located in the province of Piacenza, in the Emilia-Romagna region. The name Bobbio itself is believed to come from the Latin word "Ebovium" or "Bobium," which referred to a small stream or river.
The town of Bobbio has a rich history dating back to Roman times. It was an important center of learning and culture in the Middle Ages, known for its renowned Benedictine abbey and library. The abbey, founded in the early 7th century by St. Columbanus, a famous Irish monk, played a significant role in preserving and spreading knowledge during the Dark Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Bobbio can be found in the Codex Traditionum Ecclesiae Parmensis, a manuscript from the 11th century that documented land transactions and property ownership in the region. This suggests that the Bobbio family had already established roots in the area by that time.
In the 13th century, a notable figure with the surname Bobbio was Oberto Bobbio, a skilled architect and sculptor who worked on several important buildings in the nearby city of Piacenza. His son, Gaspare Bobbio, followed in his footsteps and became a renowned architect as well.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Bartolomeo Bobbio, a 15th-century painter and illuminator from Piacenza. His works can be found in various churches and museums in the region, showcasing his skill in the art of manuscript illumination.
The Bobbio surname also has ties to the nearby town of Voghera, where a branch of the family settled in the 16th century. One notable member from this line was Girolamo Bobbio (1552-1611), a respected jurist and legal scholar who served as a magistrate in Milan.
Other notable figures with the surname Bobbio include Pietro Bobbio (1698-1768), a Baroque architect who designed several churches and palaces in Turin, and Norberto Bobbio (1909-2004), a renowned Italian philosopher, political scientist, and historian who made significant contributions to the study of democracy and human rights.
Overall, the Bobbio surname has a rich history deeply rooted in the Piedmont region of northern Italy, with connections to the arts, architecture, law, and academia spanning several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bobbio
Among Census respondents with the surname Bobbio, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (43.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bobbio 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 Bobbio surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.5% · 62
- Hispanic or Latino43.2% · 51
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bobbio
Bobbio appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-11 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,132 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 12,132 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 Bobbio 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 | #131,379 | #143,511 | -9.2% |
| Count | 129 | 118 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bobbio bearers went from 129 to 118 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 12,132 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #143,511.
FAQ
Bobbio surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bobbio?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Bobbio. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Bobbio?
Bobbio ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Bobbio. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Bobbio.
Has Bobbio become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bobbio went from 129 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Bobbio?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bobbio, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (43.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Bobbio in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.5% (62 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bobbio appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.5%), Hispanic (43.2%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Bobbio (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 Bobbio mean?
A locational surname originating from the town of Bobbio, Italy. 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 Bobbio (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 Bobbio?
Want to know how many people are called Bobbio? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.