2000
#115,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bonella
A Italian surname derived from a diminutive form of the Italian word "buono" meaning "good".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 198 Americans carry the last name Bonella. That puts it at #108,965 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,731,083 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bonella 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 Bonella with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
198
1 in 1,731,083
Census rank
#108,965
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
173
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 173 bearers of the surname Bonella in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 108965th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonella, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 52.0%. The next largest groups are White (46.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bonella
The surname Bonella originated in Italy, with its roots tracing back to the medieval era. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "bono," meaning "good," and the Latin suffix "-ellus," denoting a diminutive form. This combination suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone with a pleasant or virtuous demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bonella surname can be found in the 13th century, in the Florentine municipality of Fiesole. The name appeared in various historical documents, including tax records and property deeds, indicating its presence among the local population.
During the Renaissance period, the Bonella name gained prominence in the region of Tuscany. Notable individuals bearing this surname included Girolamo Bonella, a renowned painter born in Siena in 1510, whose works adorned churches and noble residences across Italy.
As the name spread across the Italian peninsula, it underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Bonelli and Bonelli. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and regional pronunciations.
In the 17th century, the Bonella surname found its way to the island of Sicily, where it became associated with the town of Mazzarino. One prominent figure from this era was Vincenzo Bonella, a celebrated architect born in 1628, whose masterpieces included the design of several baroque-style churches in the region.
Moving into the 19th century, the Bonella name continued to appear across various parts of Italy. Francesco Bonella, born in Naples in 1815, was a respected linguist and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek and Latin texts.
Across the Atlantic, the Bonella name also took root in the Americas, carried by Italian immigrants seeking new opportunities. One such individual was Antonio Bonella, born in Genoa in 1840, who settled in New York City and became a successful businessman and philanthropist, supporting various charitable causes within the Italian-American community.
Other notable figures bearing the Bonella surname include Gabriele Bonella, a celebrated opera singer from Milan, born in 1875, who captivated audiences across Europe with his powerful tenor voice, and Emilio Bonella, a pioneering aviator from Turin, born in 1898, who set several long-distance flight records in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bonella
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonella, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 52.0%. The next largest groups are White (46.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bonella 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 Bonella surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino52.0% · 90
- White46.2% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 2
- Two or more races0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bonella
Bonella 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
#97,210
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 187
+47 bearers (+33.6%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 18,279 places
2020
#108,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 173
-14 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 11,755 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #115,489 | 140 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #97,210 | 187 | 0.06 | +47 bearers (+33.6%) | Up 18,279 places |
| 2020 | #108,965 | 173 | 0.06 | -14 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 11,755 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 Bonella 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 | #97,210 | #108,965 | -12.1% |
| Count | 187 | 173 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bonella bearers went from 187 to 173 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 11,755 positions in the national ranking, going from #97,210 to #108,965.
FAQ
Bonella surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bonella?
Name Census estimates that about 198 living Americans carry the surname Bonella. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,731,083 residents.
How common is Bonella?
Bonella ranks #108,965 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 173 people with the surname Bonella. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (198), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Bonella.
Has Bonella become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bonella went from 187 recorded bearers to 173. That is a decrease of 14 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #97,210 to #108,965.
What does the Census say about the background of Bonella?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonella, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 52.0%. The next largest groups are White (46.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bonella in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.0% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bonella appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (52.0%), White (46.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Bonella (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 Bonella mean?
A Italian surname derived from a diminutive form of the Italian word "buono" meaning "good". 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 Bonella (0.06 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 common is the surname Bonella?
See how many people have the surname Bonella on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.