2000
#7,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,937
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.46
Rare Last name
Bove
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who herded oxen or cattle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,987 Americans carry the last name Bove. That puts it at #9,021 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,968 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bove 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bove with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 85,968
Census rank
#9,021
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,477 bearers of the surname Bove in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9021st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bove, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bove
The surname Bove originated in Italy, deriving from the Italian word "bove," which means "ox" or "bull." This occupational surname likely referred to someone who worked with oxen, such as a farmer, plowman, or cattle herder.
The earliest known record of the Bove surname dates back to the 13th century in the regions of Campania, Calabria, and Sicily. In these areas, the name was initially spelled "Bove" or variations like "Bovi" and "Bua."
In the 14th century, the name Bove appeared in various manuscripts and records from southern Italy. For instance, a certain Tommaso Bove was mentioned in a legal document from Naples in 1342.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Bove surname was Andrea Bove, a landowner and cattle breeder who lived in the town of Eboli, near Salerno, in the late 15th century.
During the Renaissance period, several members of the Bove family gained prominence. Girolamo Bove (1515-1592) was a renowned architect and military engineer from Naples who worked on fortifications and public buildings throughout Italy.
In the 17th century, the Bove surname spread to other parts of Italy, including the region of Lazio. A notable figure from this period was Vincenzo Bove (1633-1708), a painter and architect from Rome who worked on churches and palaces in the city.
Another prominent bearer of the Bove name was Giuseppe Bove (1770-1846), a Neapolitan lawyer and politician who served as a deputy in the Napoleonic parliament and later as a judge.
In the 19th century, Pietro Bove (1811-1887) was a renowned Italian explorer and geographer who participated in several expeditions to Africa and the Middle East. He served as the director of the Istituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica in Rome.
Lastly, Camillo Bove (1887-1965) was an Italian writer and journalist who published several novels and short stories, including the acclaimed work "Il Pianeta Irritabile" (The Irritable Planet).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bove
Among Census respondents with the surname Bove, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bove 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 Bove surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 3,092
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 248
- Two or more races2.1% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 37
- Black or African American0.7% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bove
Bove 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
#8,562
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,847
-90 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 780 places
2020
#9,021
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,477
-370 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 459 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,782 | 3,937 | 1.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,562 | 3,847 | 1.30 | -90 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 780 places |
| 2020 | #9,021 | 3,477 | 1.16 | -370 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 459 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 Bove 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 | #8,562 | #9,021 | -5.4% |
| Count | 3,847 | 3,477 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.30 | 1.16 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bove bearers went from 3,847 to 3,477 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 459 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,562 to #9,021.
FAQ
Bove surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bove?
Name Census estimates that about 3,987 living Americans carry the surname Bove. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,968 residents.
How common is Bove?
Bove ranks #9,021 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 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 3,477 people with the surname Bove. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,987), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 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 Bove.
Has Bove become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bove went from 3,847 recorded bearers to 3,477. That is a decrease of 370 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,562 to #9,021.
What does the Census say about the background of Bove?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bove, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Bove in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (3,092 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bove appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Hispanic (7.1%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Bove (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 Bove mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who herded oxen or cattle. 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 Bove (1.16 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 Bove?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.