2000
#16,859
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,558
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Bongiovanni
An Italian surname meaning "good John" or "good Giovanni".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,763 Americans carry the last name Bongiovanni. That puts it at #17,928 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 194,415 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bongiovanni 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
1.8K
1 in 194,415
Census rank
#17,928
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,537 bearers of the surname Bongiovanni in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17928th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bongiovanni, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bongiovanni
The surname Bongiovanni is of Italian origin, originating from the northern regions of Italy during the medieval period. It is a compound name formed from the Italian words "buono" meaning "good" and "Giovanni" which is the Italian equivalent of the name John. The name likely originated as a nickname or descriptive name given to someone with a positive or good association with the name John.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Bongiovanni can be found in the historic records of the city of Genoa in the 13th century. A merchant named Giacomo Bongiovanni is mentioned in a document dated 1268, suggesting the name was already in use by that time.
In the 14th century, the Bongiovanni family was prominent in the city of Piacenza, with several members holding positions of influence in the local government and clergy. Notably, Girolamo Bongiovanni was a respected lawyer and judge who served as a magistrate in Piacenza in the late 1300s.
During the Renaissance period, the name Bongiovanni was associated with several notable figures in the arts and sciences. Jacopo Bongiovanni, born in 1470 in Bergamo, was a renowned painter and sculptor who contributed to the decoration of several churches and palaces in northern Italy.
In the 16th century, Giulio Bongiovanni, a mathematician and astronomer from Padua, made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits. His works were widely studied and influenced the development of astronomy during that time.
Another prominent figure with the surname Bongiovanni was Vincenzo Bongiovanni, a Neapolitan composer and organist who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was known for his church music and compositions for the organ, which were highly regarded in his time.
Over the centuries, the name Bongiovanni has spread throughout Italy and beyond, with notable individuals bearing the surname in various fields. While the name has its roots in the northern regions of Italy, it has become a part of the rich tapestry of Italian surnames and continues to be carried by families across the globe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bongiovanni
Among Census respondents with the surname Bongiovanni, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bongiovanni 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 Bongiovanni surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 1,401
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 97
- Two or more races1.6% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 9
- Black or African American0.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bongiovanni
Bongiovanni 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
#17,605
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,596
+38 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Down 746 places
2020
#17,928
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,537
-59 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.51
Rank movement Down 323 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,859 | 1,558 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,605 | 1,596 | 0.54 | +38 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 746 places |
| 2020 | #17,928 | 1,537 | 0.51 | -59 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 323 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 Bongiovanni 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 | #17,605 | #17,928 | -1.8% |
| Count | 1,596 | 1,537 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.54 | 0.51 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bongiovanni bearers went from 1,596 to 1,537 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 323 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,605 to #17,928.
FAQ
Bongiovanni surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bongiovanni?
Name Census estimates that about 1,763 living Americans carry the surname Bongiovanni. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 194,415 residents.
How common is Bongiovanni?
Bongiovanni ranks #17,928 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.51 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 1,537 people with the surname Bongiovanni. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,763), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.51 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 Bongiovanni.
Has Bongiovanni become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bongiovanni went from 1,596 recorded bearers to 1,537. That is a decrease of 59 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #17,605 to #17,928.
What does the Census say about the background of Bongiovanni?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bongiovanni, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Bongiovanni in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (1,401 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bongiovanni appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (6.3%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Bongiovanni (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 Bongiovanni mean?
An Italian surname meaning "good John" or "good Giovanni". 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 Bongiovanni (0.51 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 Bongiovanni?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.