2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Buonamici
An Italian surname meaning "good friend" or "good companion".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Buonamici. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buonamici 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Buonamici in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buonamici, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buonamici
The surname Buonamici originated in Italy, with the earliest records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Italian words "buono" meaning good and "amico" meaning friend, suggesting that the name may have been a nickname given to someone who was considered a good and loyal friend.
The name was particularly common in the regions of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, with many early records found in cities like Florence, Pisa, and Bologna. In the 14th century, a notable figure named Lapo Buonamici served as a diplomat and advisor to the Republic of Florence.
Variations of the spelling include Buonamici, Bonamici, and Bonomici. These variations can be found in historical records and manuscripts from the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the 1427 Catasto, a census-like document from Florence, which lists a Bartolomeo Buonamici as a resident of the city.
In the 16th century, a prominent scholar and philosopher named Lazzaro Buonamici (1479-1552) was born in Bassano del Grappa, near Venice. He was known for his works on rhetoric and philosophy.
Another notable figure with the surname was Francesco Buonamici (1596-1677), a Jesuit priest and mathematician from Pisa. He made contributions to the field of algebra and was a member of the Accademia del Cimento, an important scientific society in Florence.
In the 18th century, Giuseppe Buonamici (1708-1791) was a renowned architect from Rimini, who designed several churches and palaces in his hometown and surrounding areas.
The surname Buonamici also appears in connection with the town of Buonamica, located in the province of Cosenza, Calabria. It is possible that the name may have originated from this place, or that individuals from this town adopted the surname as a toponymic name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buonamici
Among Census respondents with the surname Buonamici, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Buonamici 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 Buonamici surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino7.7% · 9
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buonamici
Buonamici 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
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,624 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+9 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,262 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 6,624 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.3%) | Up 7,262 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 Buonamici 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 | #144,270 | 4.8% |
| Count | 108 | 117 | 8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buonamici bearers went from 108 to 117 (+8.3% change). The surname moved up 7,262 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #144,270.
FAQ
Buonamici surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buonamici?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Buonamici. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Buonamici?
Buonamici ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Buonamici. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Buonamici.
Has Buonamici become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buonamici went from 108 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 9 (+8.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Buonamici?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buonamici, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Buonamici in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buonamici appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Hispanic (7.7%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Buonamici (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 Buonamici mean?
An Italian surname meaning "good friend" or "good companion". 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 Buonamici (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 are called Buonamici?
Want to know how many people have the surname Buonamici? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.