2000
#10,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,907
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Bogdan
A surname of Slavic origin meaning "given by God" or "God's gift."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,340 Americans carry the last name Bogdan. That puts it at #10,512 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 102,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bogdan 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 Bogdan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 102,621
Census rank
#10,512
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,913 bearers of the surname Bogdan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10512th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bogdan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bogdan
The surname "BOGDAN" is of Slavic origin, tracing its roots back to the Old Church Slavonic language. It is believed to have originated in the region of present-day Bulgaria, Serbia, and North Macedonia during the Middle Ages.
The name "BOGDAN" is derived from the combination of two Slavic words: "bog," meaning God, and "dan," meaning given or bestowed. Thus, the name can be interpreted as "God-given" or "gift from God."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "BOGDAN" can be found in the "Rashka Charter," a medieval Serbian document dating back to the 13th century. This charter mentions a nobleman named "Bogdan Voysalić," who was a prominent figure in the court of the Serbian King Stefan Nemanjić.
In the 14th century, a notable bearer of the name "BOGDAN" was Bogdan I, the founder of the Principality of Moldavia (present-day Moldova and parts of Romania). He ruled from 1359 to 1365 and was instrumental in establishing Moldavia as an independent state.
Another prominent figure with the surname "BOGDAN" was Bogdan Khmelnitsky (1595-1657), a Hetman (military leader) of the Zaporozhian Cossacks who played a significant role in the liberation of Ukraine from Polish rule during the Khmelnytsky Uprising.
In the realm of literature, one of the most famous bearers of the surname "BOGDAN" was the Romanian poet and playwright Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu (1838-1907), known for his contributions to the development of the Romanian language and literature.
During the 20th century, a notable figure with the surname "BOGDAN" was Ion Bogdan (1864-1920), a Romanian historian and philologist who made significant contributions to the study of Romanian history and culture.
The surname "BOGDAN" has also been associated with various place names throughout Eastern Europe. For example, the city of Bogdanovići in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the village of Bogdanovtsi in Bulgaria, are both believed to have derived their names from individuals bearing the surname "BOGDAN."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bogdan
Among Census respondents with the surname Bogdan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bogdan 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 Bogdan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 2,697
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 130
- Two or more races1.8% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 18
- Black or African American0.5% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bogdan
Bogdan 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
#10,662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,001
+94 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 480 places
2020
#10,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,913
-88 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Up 150 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,182 | 2,907 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,662 | 3,001 | 1.02 | +94 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 480 places |
| 2020 | #10,512 | 2,913 | 0.97 | -88 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 150 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 Bogdan 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 | #10,662 | #10,512 | 1.4% |
| Count | 3,001 | 2,913 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 0.97 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bogdan bearers went from 3,001 to 2,913 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 150 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,662 to #10,512.
FAQ
Bogdan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bogdan?
Name Census estimates that about 3,340 living Americans carry the surname Bogdan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 102,621 residents.
How common is Bogdan?
Bogdan ranks #10,512 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 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 2,913 people with the surname Bogdan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,340), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 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 Bogdan.
Has Bogdan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bogdan went from 3,001 recorded bearers to 2,913. That is a decrease of 88 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,662 to #10,512.
What does the Census say about the background of Bogdan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bogdan, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) 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 Bogdan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (2,697 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bogdan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (4.5%), 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 Bogdan (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 Bogdan mean?
A surname of Slavic origin meaning "given by God" or "God's gift." 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 Bogdan (0.97 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 are called Bogdan?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Bogdan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.