2000
#13,503
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,065
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Bonaparte
A French surname derived from Italian, meaning "good part" or "of good lineage."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,398 Americans carry the last name Bonaparte. That puts it at #13,843 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,933 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bonaparte 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
2.4K
1 in 142,933
Census rank
#13,843
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,091 bearers of the surname Bonaparte in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13843rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonaparte, the largest self-reported group is Black at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.8%) and White (13.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bonaparte
The surname Bonaparte is of Italian origin, originating from the northern Italian region of Liguria in the late 15th century. The name is derived from the Italian words "buona" meaning "good" and "parte" meaning "part" or "share," suggesting it may have been an occupational surname referring to someone who was a fair arbitrator or mediator.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the records of the Republic of Genoa from the late 15th century, where a man named Giovanni Bonaparte is mentioned. The name was also found in other parts of Liguria, such as the town of Calvi, where a family with the surname Bonaparte resided in the 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in the records of the town of Ajaccio, located on the island of Corsica, which was part of the Republic of Genoa at the time. One of the most notable individuals with this surname was Carlo Bonaparte (1746-1785), who was a prominent Corsican lawyer and politician.
However, the most famous person to bear the surname Bonaparte was undoubtedly Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), the French military leader and emperor who rose to power during the French Revolution and conquered much of Europe. His family originated from Ajaccio, Corsica, and he was born to Carlo Bonaparte and Letizia Ramolino.
Other notable individuals with the surname Bonaparte include Napoleon's brothers, Joseph Bonaparte (1768-1844), who served as the King of Naples and Spain, and Louis Bonaparte (1778-1846), who was the King of Holland. Additionally, Charles Joseph Bonaparte (1851-1921), a grandson of King Jerome Bonaparte (Napoleon's youngest brother), served as the United States Secretary of the Navy and Attorney General under President Theodore Roosevelt.
The surname Bonaparte has also been found in other European countries, such as Spain and Germany, likely due to the influence and migrations of individuals related to Napoleon's family during the Napoleonic Wars and the establishment of the Bonaparte dynasty.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bonaparte
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonaparte, the largest self-reported group is Black at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.8%) and White (13.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bonaparte 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 Bonaparte surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American64.1% · 1,340
- Hispanic or Latino14.8% · 310
- White13.8% · 289
- Two or more races4.9% · 102
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bonaparte
Bonaparte 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
#13,397
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,274
+209 bearers (+10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 106 places
2020
#13,843
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,091
-183 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 446 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,503 | 2,065 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,397 | 2,274 | 0.77 | +209 bearers (+10.1%) | Up 106 places |
| 2020 | #13,843 | 2,091 | 0.70 | -183 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 446 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 Bonaparte 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 | #13,397 | #13,843 | -3.3% |
| Count | 2,274 | 2,091 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.70 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bonaparte bearers went from 2,274 to 2,091 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 446 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,397 to #13,843.
FAQ
Bonaparte surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bonaparte?
Name Census estimates that about 2,398 living Americans carry the surname Bonaparte. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,933 residents.
How common is Bonaparte?
Bonaparte ranks #13,843 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,091 people with the surname Bonaparte. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,398), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Bonaparte.
Has Bonaparte become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bonaparte went from 2,274 recorded bearers to 2,091. That is a decrease of 183 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,397 to #13,843.
What does the Census say about the background of Bonaparte?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonaparte, the largest self-reported group is Black at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.8%) and White (13.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bonaparte in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.1% (1,340 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bonaparte appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (64.1%), Hispanic (14.8%), White (13.8%). 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 Bonaparte (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 Bonaparte mean?
A French surname derived from Italian, meaning "good part" or "of good lineage." 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 Bonaparte (0.70 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 Bonaparte?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.