2000
#106,477
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 155
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Boselli
An Italian surname meaning "small woods" or "little forest".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 233 Americans carry the last name Boselli. That puts it at #96,193 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,471,049 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boselli 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
233
1 in 1,471,049
Census rank
#96,193
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
203
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 203 bearers of the surname Boselli in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 96193rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boselli, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boselli
The surname Boselli originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "bosco," meaning "forest" or "woods." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near or worked in a heavily wooded area.
The earliest recorded instances of the Boselli surname can be traced back to the 13th century in the regions of Piedmont and Lombardy, located in the northwestern part of Italy. The name was particularly prevalent in the cities of Turin and Milan, where several notable families bearing the Boselli surname resided.
One of the earliest known references to the name Boselli can be found in the historical records of the city of Pavia, where a man named Guglielmo Boselli was mentioned in a document dated 1265. This indicates that the surname was already well-established in the region by the 13th century.
During the Renaissance period, the Boselli family gained prominence in the city of Milan. Cristoforo Boselli (1490-1556) was a renowned Italian architect and sculptor who contributed to the design of several significant buildings in Milan, including the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio.
Another notable figure with the Boselli surname was Paolo Boselli (1838-1932), an Italian statesman and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Italy from 1916 to 1917. He played a crucial role in leading Italy during the latter stages of World War I.
In the 19th century, the Boselli surname also found its way to France, where it was adopted by several families of Italian descent. One of the most famous French individuals with this surname was Jacques Boselli (1912-2002), a renowned painter and sculptor whose works are displayed in numerous museums and galleries across Europe.
Throughout the centuries, the Boselli surname has been associated with various noble families and influential individuals in Italy, particularly in the regions of Piedmont and Lombardy. While the name may have originated from a connection to forested areas, it has since become a distinguished surname with a rich historical legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boselli
Among Census respondents with the surname Boselli, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Boselli 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 Boselli surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 185
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 12
- Two or more races3.0% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boselli
Boselli 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
#88,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 210
+55 bearers (+35.5%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 18,141 places
2020
#96,193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 203
-7 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 7,857 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #106,477 | 155 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #88,336 | 210 | 0.07 | +55 bearers (+35.5%) | Up 18,141 places |
| 2020 | #96,193 | 203 | 0.07 | -7 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 7,857 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 Boselli 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 | #88,336 | #96,193 | -8.9% |
| Count | 210 | 203 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boselli bearers went from 210 to 203 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 7,857 positions in the national ranking, going from #88,336 to #96,193.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Boselli
FAQ
Boselli surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boselli?
Name Census estimates that about 233 living Americans carry the surname Boselli. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,471,049 residents.
How common is Boselli?
Boselli ranks #96,193 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 203 people with the surname Boselli. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (233), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Boselli.
Has Boselli become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boselli went from 210 recorded bearers to 203. That is a decrease of 7 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #88,336 to #96,193.
What does the Census say about the background of Boselli?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boselli, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Boselli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (185 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boselli appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (5.9%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Boselli (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 Boselli mean?
An Italian surname meaning "small woods" or "little 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 Boselli (0.07 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 people share the surname Boselli?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.