2000
#14,498
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,885
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Bonomo
An Italian surname derived from the Latin word "bonus," meaning "good" or "kind."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,073 Americans carry the last name Bonomo. That puts it at #15,568 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 165,342 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bonomo 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
2.1K
1 in 165,342
Census rank
#15,568
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,808 bearers of the surname Bonomo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15568th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonomo, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bonomo
The surname Bonomo is of Italian origin, originating in the regions of Calabria and Sicily during the late Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Latin phrase "bonus homo," meaning "good man" or "virtuous man." This phrase was likely used to distinguish individuals renowned for their honorable conduct and upstanding character.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Bonomo can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries, appearing in various historical documents and records from southern Italy. One notable mention is found in the Angevine Census of 1277, which documented the taxation of households in the Kingdom of Naples.
In the 15th century, the name Bonomo appeared in the Codex Diplomaticus Regni Siciliae, a collection of royal charters and documents pertaining to the Kingdom of Sicily. This suggests that individuals bearing this surname held positions of prominence and influence during this period.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Bonomo name was Giovanni Bonomo, a prominent jurist and legal scholar who lived in the late 15th century. He authored several treatises on canon law and served as an advisor to the Aragonese court in Naples.
During the Renaissance, the name Bonomo was associated with artistic and literary circles. Francesco Bonomo, a renowned painter and sculptor from Calabria, was active in the early 16th century and is best known for his religious works commissioned by churches and monasteries throughout southern Italy.
In the 17th century, the name Bonomo gained recognition through the exploits of Antonio Bonomo, a celebrated explorer and cartographer from Sicily. He accompanied several expeditions to the New World and his detailed maps of the Caribbean and Central America were highly valued by European navigators and adventurers.
Another notable figure was Girolamo Bonomo, a Sicilian philosopher and theologian who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He authored numerous scholarly works on metaphysics, ethics, and Christian doctrine, and was highly regarded for his erudition and intellectual prowess.
The 18th century saw the emergence of Gioacchino Bonomo, a renowned composer and violinist from Calabria. His compositions, particularly his violin concertos and sonatas, were widely celebrated across Europe and influenced the development of the Neapolitan school of violin playing.
Throughout its history, the surname Bonomo has been associated with individuals of distinction, from scholars and artists to explorers and philosophers, reflecting the virtuous and honorable connotations of its Latin origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bonomo
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonomo, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bonomo 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 Bonomo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 1,650
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 100
- Two or more races1.7% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bonomo
Bonomo 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
#14,787
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,007
+122 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 289 places
2020
#15,568
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,808
-199 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 781 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,498 | 1,885 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,787 | 2,007 | 0.68 | +122 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 289 places |
| 2020 | #15,568 | 1,808 | 0.60 | -199 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 781 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 Bonomo 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 | #14,787 | #15,568 | -5.3% |
| Count | 2,007 | 1,808 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.60 | -11.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bonomo bearers went from 2,007 to 1,808 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 781 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,787 to #15,568.
FAQ
Bonomo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bonomo?
Name Census estimates that about 2,073 living Americans carry the surname Bonomo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 165,342 residents.
How common is Bonomo?
Bonomo ranks #15,568 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,808 people with the surname Bonomo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,073), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Bonomo.
Has Bonomo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bonomo went from 2,007 recorded bearers to 1,808. That is a decrease of 199 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,787 to #15,568.
What does the Census say about the background of Bonomo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bonomo, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Bonomo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (1,650 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bonomo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (5.5%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Bonomo (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 Bonomo mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Latin word "bonus," meaning "good" or "kind." 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 Bonomo (0.60 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 Bonomo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.