2000
#4,795
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,731
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.50
Rare Last name
Bice
An Italian surname derived from the personal name Bici, a diminutive of Benedetto, meaning "blessed."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,615 Americans carry the last name Bice. That puts it at #5,108 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,010 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bice 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 Bice with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.6K
1 in 45,010
Census rank
#5,108
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,641 bearers of the surname Bice in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5108th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bice, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bice
The surname Bice has its origins in Italy, tracing back to the medieval era. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "bicio," which means "cross-eyed" or "squinting." This nickname likely referred to someone who had a distinctive facial feature or a squinting gaze.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Bice can be found in historical documents from various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, and Lombardy. Some of the earliest mentions of the surname date back to the 13th and 14th centuries, during the Renaissance period.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Bice di Calcavecchia was mentioned in the historical records of Florence. She was a noblewoman and a prominent figure in the city's cultural and social circles. Another early reference to the name can be found in the writings of the renowned Italian poet Dante Alighieri, who immortalized a character named Bice Portinari in his literary masterpiece, the Divine Comedy.
As the centuries passed, the Bice surname continued to be present in various parts of Italy. In the 16th century, a man named Giovanni Battista Bice was a renowned painter and architect from the city of Genoa. His works can still be admired in several churches and palaces throughout the region.
During the 17th century, a notable figure named Girolamo Bice was a prominent lawyer and legal scholar from Bologna. He authored several influential treatises on law and jurisprudence, which were widely studied and referenced by legal professionals of the time.
In the 18th century, a musician named Niccolò Bice gained recognition for his compositions and performances in the city of Milan. He was highly regarded for his expertise in opera and sacred music, and his works were performed in various theatres and churches across northern Italy.
Another notable individual with the surname Bice was Luisa Bice, a 19th-century writer and poet from Tuscany. Her collection of poems and literary works gained widespread acclaim, and she was celebrated for her contribution to Italian literature during the Romantic period.
These are just a few examples of the historical figures who have borne the surname Bice throughout the centuries, highlighting the rich heritage and diverse backgrounds associated with this Italian name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bice
Among Census respondents with the surname Bice, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bice 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 Bice surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 6,007
- Two or more races4.2% · 278
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 178
- Black or African American1.4% · 94
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 39
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bice
Bice 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
#5,117
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,841
+110 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 2.32
Rank movement Down 322 places
2020
#5,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,641
-200 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 2.22
Rank movement Up 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,795 | 6,731 | 2.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,117 | 6,841 | 2.32 | +110 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 322 places |
| 2020 | #5,108 | 6,641 | 2.22 | -200 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 9 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 Bice 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 | #5,117 | #5,108 | 0.2% |
| Count | 6,841 | 6,641 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.32 | 2.22 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bice bearers went from 6,841 to 6,641 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,117 to #5,108.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bice
FAQ
Bice surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bice?
Name Census estimates that about 7,615 living Americans carry the surname Bice. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,010 residents.
How common is Bice?
Bice ranks #5,108 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,641 people with the surname Bice. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,615), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bice.
Has Bice become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bice went from 6,841 recorded bearers to 6,641. That is a decrease of 200 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,117 to #5,108.
What does the Census say about the background of Bice?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bice, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Bice in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (6,007 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bice appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Bice (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 Bice mean?
An Italian surname derived from the personal name Bici, a diminutive of Benedetto, meaning "blessed." 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 Bice (2.22 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 last name Bice?
Find out how many people are called Bice on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.