2000
#43,955
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 462
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Boscarino
A surname of Italian origin meaning someone from Boscarina or Boscarina Forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 542 Americans carry the last name Boscarino. That puts it at #48,236 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 632,388 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boscarino 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
542
1 in 632,388
Census rank
#48,236
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
473
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 473 bearers of the surname Boscarino in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 48236th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boscarino, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boscarino
The surname Boscarino originates from Italy, specifically the region of Sicily. It likely emerged during the Middle Ages, between the 5th and 15th centuries. The name is derived from the Italian word "bosco," meaning "woods" or "forest," and the suffix "-ino," which is a diminutive form indicating smallness or endearment. This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near or worked in a small wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Boscarino can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Siciliae," a collection of medieval documents from Sicily, dating back to the 11th century. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Boscarinius" and "Boscarinus," reflecting the linguistic evolution of the era.
In the 13th century, a nobleman named Riccardo Boscarino was mentioned in a historical account as one of the knights who fought alongside King Frederick II of Sicily during the Sixth Crusade (1228-1229). This reference provides insight into the presence of the Boscarino name among the Sicilian nobility during that time period.
During the Renaissance, a renowned artist named Vincenzo Boscarino (1540-1610) from Palermo, Sicily, gained recognition for his religious paintings and frescoes adorning churches in his native city. His works are considered valuable contributions to the artistic heritage of the region.
In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the Boscarino surname was Giuseppe Boscarino (1721-1794), a Sicilian architect and engineer. He was responsible for the design and construction of several landmark buildings in Palermo, including the Church of San Domenico and the Palazzo dei Normanni (Norman Palace).
Another prominent individual was Francesco Boscarino (1802-1871), a Sicilian politician and jurist who served as the President of the Supreme Court of Sicily during the 19th century. His legacy includes significant contributions to the legal system and jurisprudence of the region.
These examples illustrate the historical presence and significance of the Boscarino surname, which can be traced back to its origins in the Sicilian region of Italy, where it has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including nobility, artists, architects, and legal scholars.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boscarino
Among Census respondents with the surname Boscarino, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Boscarino 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 Boscarino surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 428
- Hispanic or Latino7.4% · 35
- Two or more races1.5% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boscarino
Boscarino 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
#42,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 504
+42 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 1,018 places
2020
#48,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 473
-31 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 5,299 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #43,955 | 462 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #42,937 | 504 | 0.17 | +42 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 1,018 places |
| 2020 | #48,236 | 473 | 0.16 | -31 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 5,299 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 Boscarino 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 | #42,937 | #48,236 | -12.3% |
| Count | 504 | 473 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.16 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boscarino bearers went from 504 to 473 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 5,299 positions in the national ranking, going from #42,937 to #48,236.
FAQ
Boscarino surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boscarino?
Name Census estimates that about 542 living Americans carry the surname Boscarino. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 632,388 residents.
How common is Boscarino?
Boscarino ranks #48,236 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 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 473 people with the surname Boscarino. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (542), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 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 Boscarino.
Has Boscarino become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boscarino went from 504 recorded bearers to 473. That is a decrease of 31 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #42,937 to #48,236.
What does the Census say about the background of Boscarino?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boscarino, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Boscarino in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (428 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boscarino appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (7.4%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Boscarino (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 Boscarino mean?
A surname of Italian origin meaning someone from Boscarina or Boscarina Forest. 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 Boscarino (0.16 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 Boscarino?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.