2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bostjancic
A surname of Slovenian origin meaning "innkeeper" or someone who hosted travelers and owned an inn.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Bostjancic. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bostjancic 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Bostjancic in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bostjancic, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bostjancic
The surname Bostjancic is of Slovenian origin and can be traced back to the late 15th century. It is believed to have originated from the Slovenian word "bostjan," which is a variant of the name Sebastian. The name may have been derived from the ancient Roman name Sebastianus, meaning "from Sebaste" (a town in ancient Asia Minor).
In its earliest known records, the surname Bostjancic was often spelled as "Bostjančič" or "Bostjančić," reflecting the Slavic influence on the name's spelling. These variations were commonly found in various historical documents and parish registers from the regions of present-day Slovenia and Croatia.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Bostjancic can be found in a land registry document from the town of Novo Mesto, Slovenia, dated 1492. The document mentions a landowner named Jurij Bostjančič, who owned a small plot of land in the village of Bršljin.
In the 17th century, the Bostjancic surname gained recognition through the works of Janez Bostjancic (1621-1678), a prominent Slovenian scholar and philosopher. He was known for his writings on logic, metaphysics, and ethics, and his works were widely read among the intellectual circles of the time.
Another notable figure bearing the Bostjancic surname was Marija Bostjancic (1759-1834), a Slovenian writer and poet. She was one of the first female authors to publish in the Slovenian language and is considered a pioneer of Slovenian women's literature. Her collection of poems, titled "Pesmi" (Poems), was published in 1809 and received critical acclaim.
In the 19th century, the name Bostjancic was associated with the village of Bostanj, located in eastern Slovenia. The village's name is believed to have derived from the same root as the surname, suggesting a possible connection between the place and the family name.
One of the most famous bearers of the Bostjancic surname in modern times was Janez Bostjancic (1914-1995), a Slovenian writer and journalist. He was known for his novels, short stories, and essays, which often explored themes of rural life and the struggles of ordinary people in Slovenia.
While the surname Bostjancic is predominantly found in Slovenia, it has also been carried by individuals in neighboring countries such as Croatia and Serbia, reflecting the historical migrations and cultural exchanges in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bostjancic
Among Census respondents with the surname Bostjancic, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bostjancic 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 Bostjancic surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 111
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bostjancic
Bostjancic appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+9 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,941 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.3%) | Up 6,941 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 Bostjancic 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 | #150,452 | #143,511 | 4.6% |
| Count | 109 | 118 | 8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bostjancic bearers went from 109 to 118 (+8.3% change). The surname moved up 6,941 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #143,511.
FAQ
Bostjancic surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bostjancic?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Bostjancic. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Bostjancic?
Bostjancic ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Bostjancic. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Bostjancic.
Has Bostjancic become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bostjancic went from 109 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 9 (+8.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Bostjancic?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bostjancic, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Bostjancic in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bostjancic appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Black (0.8%). 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 Bostjancic (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 Bostjancic mean?
A surname of Slovenian origin meaning "innkeeper" or someone who hosted travelers and owned an inn. 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 Bostjancic (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 people have the surname Bostjancic?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.