2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bosnich
A surname indicating someone from Bosnia or an ethnicity originating in Bosnia.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Bosnich. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bosnich 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Bosnich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bosnich, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.8%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bosnich
The surname Bosnich originates from the Balkans, specifically the region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It likely emerged in the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century, when Bosnia was an independent kingdom.
The name is derived from the word "Bosna," which is the Slavic term for the region of Bosnia. It was likely used to denote someone who hailed from that area or had some connection to it.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bosnich can be found in the Defter of the Sanjak of Herzegovina, a tax register compiled by the Ottoman Empire in the late 15th century. This document lists several individuals with variants of the name, such as Boshnjak and Boshniak.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various Ottoman records, including court documents and military registers. Notable individuals from this period include Mehmed Bosnich, a military commander who fought against the Venetians in the late 1500s.
As the Bosnian diaspora spread across Europe and beyond, the name took on different spellings and variations. For example, in the 18th century, there was a prominent family of Bosniak merchants based in Dubrovnik, Croatia, who used the spelling Bosnić.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Bosnich was Muhamed Bosnić (1860-1925), a renowned Bosnian author, poet, and journalist. He played a significant role in the cultural renaissance of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Another notable figure was Safvet-beg Bosnić (1835-1909), a Bosnian statesman and diplomat who served as the first Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina under Austro-Hungarian rule.
In the 20th century, the name Bosnich gained prominence in the world of sports. One example is Mark Bosnich (born 1972), a former Australian soccer goalkeeper who played for several top clubs, including Manchester United and Chelsea.
Lastly, the name Bosnich has also been associated with places in Bosnia and Herzegovina, such as the town of Bosnjaci, which was historically known as Bošnjaci.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bosnich
Among Census respondents with the surname Bosnich, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.8%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bosnich 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 Bosnich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.8% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino11.8% · 14
- Two or more races5.9% · 7
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bosnich
Bosnich 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-14 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,614 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+7 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,465 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 21,614 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.3%) | Up 4,465 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 Bosnich 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 | #147,253 | #142,788 | 3.0% |
| Count | 112 | 119 | 6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bosnich bearers went from 112 to 119 (+6.3% change). The surname moved up 4,465 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #142,788.
FAQ
Bosnich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bosnich?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Bosnich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Bosnich?
Bosnich ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 119 people with the surname Bosnich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Bosnich.
Has Bosnich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bosnich went from 112 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 7 (+6.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Bosnich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bosnich, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.8%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Bosnich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.8% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bosnich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.8%), Hispanic (11.8%), Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Bosnich (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 Bosnich mean?
A surname indicating someone from Bosnia or an ethnicity originating in Bosnia. 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 Bosnich (0.04 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 Bosnich?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.