2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bovian
A surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone from a location called Bovian.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Bovian. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bovian 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Bovian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bovian, the largest self-reported group is Black at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and White (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bovian
The surname BOVIAN has its origins traced back to England, with records dating as far back as the 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "bovig," which translates to "bow-shaped" or "curved." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone living near a curved or bow-shaped landscape feature.
One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named Bovian is listed as holding property in the county of Oxfordshire. This historical record lends credence to the theory that the name originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period.
In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the BOVIAN surname was Sir William Bovian, a knight who fought alongside King Edward I during the Welsh Wars. He was born around 1260 and is mentioned in several chronicles from that era for his bravery on the battlefield.
During the 14th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of England, with records showing BOVIAN families residing in counties such as Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. One notable individual from this period was John Bovian, a merchant and alderman from the city of York, who lived from approximately 1320 to 1395.
The 16th century saw the emergence of Richard Bovian, a renowned scholar and theologian born in 1525. He studied at the University of Oxford and later became a fellow of Magdalen College, where he taught and wrote extensively on religious matters.
In the 17th century, a prominent member of the BOVIAN family was Elizabeth Bovian, born in 1623. She was a notable poet and playwright, whose works were published and performed in London during the Restoration period.
As the centuries progressed, the BOVIAN surname continued to be found across various regions of England, with some variations in spelling, such as Bovyan, Bovien, and Bowvian, emerging over time. These variations often reflected local dialects and pronunciations, but all shared a common ancestral root.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bovian
Among Census respondents with the surname Bovian, the largest self-reported group is Black at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and White (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bovian 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 Bovian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American90.4% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 5
- White2.9% · 3
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bovian
Bovian 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+5 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,437 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-4 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 2,058 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 4,437 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 2,058 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 Bovian 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 | #151,532 | #153,590 | -1.4% |
| Count | 108 | 104 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bovian bearers went from 108 to 104 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 2,058 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #153,590.
FAQ
Bovian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bovian?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Bovian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Bovian?
Bovian ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Bovian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Bovian.
Has Bovian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bovian went from 108 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Bovian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bovian, the largest self-reported group is Black at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and White (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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bovian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bovian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (90.4%), Hispanic (4.8%), White (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 Bovian (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 Bovian mean?
A surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone from a location called Bovian. 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 Bovian (0.03 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 are called Bovian?
See how many people have the last name Bovian on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.