2000
#75,695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 237
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Bossong
A surname derived from a nickname meaning "stout" or "robust".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 245 Americans carry the last name Bossong. That puts it at #92,231 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,398,997 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bossong 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
245
1 in 1,398,997
Census rank
#92,231
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
214
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 214 bearers of the surname Bossong in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 92231st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bossong, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Black (1.4%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bossong
The surname Bossong has its roots in Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Lower Rhine region, which encompasses parts of modern-day Germany and the Netherlands. The name is thought to be derived from the German word "Bosse," which means "boss" or "master," combined with the suffix "-ong," indicating a place or location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bossong name appears in a church registry from the town of Düsseldorf in 1592, where a certain Hans Bossong was listed as a member of the local guild of bakers. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with a particular trade or occupation, possibly related to baking or the production of bread.
In the 17th century, the Bossong surname can be found in various documents from the Rhineland region, including land records, tax rolls, and marriage certificates. A notable example is Johannes Bossong, born in 1642 in the town of Krefeld, who was a prominent merchant and landowner during his time.
The 18th century saw the spread of the Bossong name to other parts of Germany, as well as neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland. One of the earliest known bearers of the name outside of the Rhineland was Johann Bossong, a clockmaker born in 1712 in the city of Augsburg, who gained recognition for his intricate and precise timepieces.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century, the Bossong name became associated with various industries and professions. Johann Friedrich Bossong (1786-1862), a textile manufacturer from the town of Elberfeld, was a pioneer in the use of mechanized looms and played a significant role in the development of the region's textile industry.
The 20th century saw the Bossong name spread further across Europe and beyond, with notable individuals such as Hans Bossong (1901-1975), a German-born artist and sculptor who gained recognition for his avant-garde works in the United States, and Ingrid Bossong (born 1947), a renowned German author and poet.
Other notable bearers of the Bossong surname include:
1. Wilhelm Bossong (1880-1949), a German chemist and industrialist who pioneered the development of synthetic rubber.
2. Karl Bossong (1910-1992), a Swiss architect known for his modernist designs and contributions to urban planning.
3. Philipp Bossong (born 1976), a German-born writer and journalist based in the United States.
4. Claudia Bossong (born 1968), a German painter and mixed media artist celebrated for her abstract compositions.
5. Gerhard Bossong (1923-2011), a German-born mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the field of numerical analysis.
While the Bossong surname may have evolved and spread over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the Lower Rhine region of Germany, where it first emerged as a marker of occupation, place, or status.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bossong
Among Census respondents with the surname Bossong, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Black (1.4%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bossong 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 Bossong surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3% · 204
- Black or African American1.4% · 3
- Two or more races1.4% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bossong
Bossong 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
#78,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 243
+6 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 2,872 places
2020
#92,231
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 214
-29 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 13,664 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #75,695 | 237 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #78,567 | 243 | 0.08 | +6 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 2,872 places |
| 2020 | #92,231 | 214 | 0.07 | -29 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 13,664 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 Bossong 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 | #78,567 | #92,231 | -17.4% |
| Count | 243 | 214 | -11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.07 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bossong bearers went from 243 to 214 (-11.9% change). The surname moved down 13,664 positions in the national ranking, going from #78,567 to #92,231.
FAQ
Bossong surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bossong?
Name Census estimates that about 245 living Americans carry the surname Bossong. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,398,997 residents.
How common is Bossong?
Bossong ranks #92,231 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 214 people with the surname Bossong. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (245), 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 Bossong.
Has Bossong become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bossong went from 243 recorded bearers to 214. That is a decrease of 29 (-11.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #78,567 to #92,231.
What does the Census say about the background of Bossong?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bossong, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Black (1.4%) and Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Bossong in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (204 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bossong appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.3%), Black (1.4%), Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Bossong (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 Bossong mean?
A surname derived from a nickname meaning "stout" or "robust". 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 Bossong (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 common is the surname Bossong?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Bossong on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.