2000
#4,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,928
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.94
Rare Last name
Bianchi
An Italian surname meaning "white," referring to a person with very pale hair or complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,374 Americans carry the last name Bianchi. That puts it at #4,196 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,564 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bianchi 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 Bianchi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.4K
1 in 36,564
Census rank
#4,196
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,175 bearers of the surname Bianchi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4196th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bianchi, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bianchi
The surname Bianchi originated in Italy, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "bianco," meaning "white," and was likely given as a nickname to someone with light hair, a pale complexion, or perhaps a reference to someone's occupation or place of residence.
The name Bianchi can be traced back to various regions across Italy, including Tuscany, Lombardy, and Emilia-Romagna. It was particularly prevalent in the cities of Florence, Milan, and Bologna. The name's earliest recorded spelling variations include Biancho, Bianco, and Bianchi.
One of the earliest known references to the name Bianchi can be found in the historic Florentine chronicles, where a certain Gherardo Bianchi is mentioned as a prominent citizen in the year 1260. Another notable example is Giovanni Bianchi, a renowned Italian painter and architect who lived in the late 15th century (1440-1516).
Throughout history, the Bianchi surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, and public figures. For instance, Valentino Bianchi (1629-1717) was an Italian jurist and writer, known for his works on legal philosophy. Andrea Bianchi (1776-1858) was an Italian architect and engineer, responsible for designing several notable buildings in Milan.
Another prominent figure was Niccola Bianchi (1856-1909), an Italian mathematician and academic who made significant contributions to the field of geometry. Francesco Bianchi (1752-1811) was an Italian composer and violinist, renowned for his operas and instrumental works during the classical period.
It is worth mentioning that the Bianchi name has also been associated with various noble families throughout Italian history, such as the Bianchi di Montefranco, a noble lineage from the Marche region, and the Bianchi di Casalgrande, a noble family from the province of Reggio Emilia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bianchi
Among Census respondents with the surname Bianchi, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bianchi 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 Bianchi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 7,113
- Hispanic or Latino9.4% · 770
- Two or more races2.1% · 174
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 58
- Black or African American0.5% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bianchi
Bianchi 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
#4,293
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,284
+356 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 2.81
Rank movement Down 159 places
2020
#4,196
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,175
-109 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 2.74
Rank movement Up 97 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,134 | 7,928 | 2.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,293 | 8,284 | 2.81 | +356 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 159 places |
| 2020 | #4,196 | 8,175 | 2.74 | -109 bearers (-1.3%) | Up 97 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 Bianchi 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 | #4,293 | #4,196 | 2.3% |
| Count | 8,284 | 8,175 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.81 | 2.74 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bianchi bearers went from 8,284 to 8,175 (-1.3% change). The surname moved up 97 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,293 to #4,196.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bianchi
FAQ
Bianchi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bianchi?
Name Census estimates that about 9,374 living Americans carry the surname Bianchi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,564 residents.
How common is Bianchi?
Bianchi ranks #4,196 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,175 people with the surname Bianchi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,374), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Bianchi.
Has Bianchi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bianchi went from 8,284 recorded bearers to 8,175. That is a decrease of 109 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,293 to #4,196.
What does the Census say about the background of Bianchi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bianchi, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.4%) 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 Bianchi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (7,113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bianchi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Hispanic (9.4%), 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 Bianchi (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 Bianchi mean?
An Italian surname meaning "white," referring to a person with very pale hair or complexion. 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 Bianchi (2.74 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 share the surname Bianchi?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.