Find out how popular the last name Bonnici is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bonnici.

Bonnici, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bonnici surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bonnici in America

Bonnici is the 64559th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bonnici surname appeared 308 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Bonnici.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bonnici to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bonnici

The surname Bonnici originates from the Mediterranean island nation of Malta. It is believed to have emerged during the period of the Norman rule of Malta in the 11th and 12th centuries. The name is derived from the Italian word "buona," meaning "good," and is thought to have been a descriptive surname initially given to individuals with a kind or virtuous nature.

Bonnici is a variation of the more common Italian surname Buonanno, which shares the same root word. The earliest records of the name Bonnici can be found in medieval Maltese documents and parish registers, with various spellings such as Bonnici, Bonici, and Bonich.

One of the earliest known references to the surname Bonnici is in a 14th-century legal document from the town of Żejtun, where a certain "Petrus Bonnici" is mentioned. Another notable early occurrence is in a 16th-century manuscript from the village of Qormi, which documents the marriage of "Nicola Bonnici" to "Catherina Abela."

Over the centuries, several individuals with the surname Bonnici have left their mark on Maltese history and culture. For instance, Franġisk Saverju Bonnici (1796-1870) was a prominent Maltese lawyer and politician who served as the President of the Council of Government in the mid-19th century.

Another notable figure is Arturo Bonnici (1856-1921), a Maltese-Italian composer and conductor who composed several operas and orchestral works. His contemporary, Salvatore Bonnici (1872-1937), was a Maltese artist renowned for his religious paintings and frescoes adorning various churches across the island.

In more recent times, Ugo Mifsud Bonnici (born 1933) was a prominent Maltese politician who served as the Prime Minister of Malta from 1984 to 1987. Additionally, Michael Bonnici (1946-2021) was a respected Maltese attorney and legal scholar who served as the Chief Justice of Malta from 2004 to 2014.

While the name Bonnici is primarily associated with Malta, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to Maltese immigration. Individuals with this surname can now be found in various countries, particularly in Australia, Canada, and the United States, where significant Maltese communities have established roots.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bonnici

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bonnici.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bonnici was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bonnici has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bonnici was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bonnici, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!