2000
#8,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,545
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.31
Rare Last name
Bosse
A French occupational surname for a hunchback or a nickname for someone with a hunched back.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,139 Americans carry the last name Bosse. That puts it at #8,721 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,811 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bosse 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
4.1K
1 in 82,811
Census rank
#8,721
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,609 bearers of the surname Bosse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8721st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bosse, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bosse
The surname "Bosse" is of French origin, deriving from the Old French word "boce" or "bosse," meaning "hump" or "protuberance." It likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone with a physical characteristic such as a hunchback or a prominent nose.
The earliest known record of the surname "Bosse" dates back to the 13th century in the region of Normandy, France. It was found in various medieval documents, such as tax rolls and parish records. The name was also present in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landowners in England after the Norman Conquest.
In the 14th century, the surname "Bosse" appeared in the records of the French city of Reims, where a person named Pierre Bosse was mentioned as a landowner. During the same period, the name was also found in the region of Picardy, where a family named Bosse resided in the village of Moreuil.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname "Bosse" was Jean Bosse, a French painter and engraver born in Tours in 1602. He is considered one of the pioneers of the French Baroque style and is renowned for his religious paintings and etchings.
Another notable person with the surname "Bosse" was Abraham Bosse (1602-1676), a French engraver and satirist from Tours. He is known for his etchings depicting the everyday life of 17th-century Parisians and his satirical prints criticizing the excesses of the French aristocracy.
In the 18th century, the surname "Bosse" gained prominence with the birth of René Bosse (1759-1828), a French mathematician and author who made significant contributions to the field of geometry. He published several influential works, including "Traité élémentaire de géométrie" (Elementary Treatise on Geometry).
The 19th century saw the rise of Joseph Bosse (1828-1901), a French architect and urban planner who played a crucial role in the reconstruction of Paris under the leadership of Baron Haussmann. He designed several iconic buildings, including the Church of Saint-Augustin and the Palais du Trocadéro.
Another notable figure with the surname "Bosse" was Henri Bosse (1884-1955), a French sculptor and medallist. He is best known for his works commemorating World War I, including the monument "La Victoire" (Victory) in Reims, which honors the French soldiers who fought in the Battle of the Marne.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bosse
Among Census respondents with the surname Bosse, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bosse 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 Bosse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 3,183
- Black or African American5.4% · 196
- Two or more races2.9% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 94
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bosse
Bosse 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
#8,222
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,036
+491 bearers (+13.9%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Up 335 places
2020
#8,721
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,609
-427 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 499 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,557 | 3,545 | 1.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,222 | 4,036 | 1.37 | +491 bearers (+13.9%) | Up 335 places |
| 2020 | #8,721 | 3,609 | 1.21 | -427 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 499 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 Bosse 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 | #8,222 | #8,721 | -6.1% |
| Count | 4,036 | 3,609 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.21 | -11.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bosse bearers went from 4,036 to 3,609 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 499 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,222 to #8,721.
FAQ
Bosse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bosse?
Name Census estimates that about 4,139 living Americans carry the surname Bosse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,811 residents.
How common is Bosse?
Bosse ranks #8,721 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.21 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 3,609 people with the surname Bosse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.21 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 Bosse.
Has Bosse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bosse went from 4,036 recorded bearers to 3,609. That is a decrease of 427 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,222 to #8,721.
What does the Census say about the background of Bosse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bosse, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Bosse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (3,183 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bosse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Black (5.4%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Bosse (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 Bosse mean?
A French occupational surname for a hunchback or a nickname for someone with a hunched back. 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 Bosse (1.21 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 have the surname Bosse?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.