2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Boscaino
A locational surname derived from an Italian place name meaning "from the small forest".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Boscaino. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boscaino 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Boscaino in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boscaino, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boscaino
The surname Boscaino is believed to have originated in Italy, specifically in the region of Sicily. It can be traced back to the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
The name Boscaino is derived from the Italian word "bosco," meaning "forest" or "woodland." It is likely that the name originally referred to someone who lived near or worked in a forested area. The suffix "-ino" is a common diminutive in Italian names, suggesting that Boscaino was initially a nickname or descriptive name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Boscaino can be found in the tax records of Palermo, Sicily, from the late 15th century. These records mention several individuals with variations of the name, such as Boscayno, Buscaino, and Boscaino.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Boscaino was Pietro Boscaino, a prominent merchant and banker from Messina, Sicily. He was involved in financing various trading ventures and is mentioned in several historical documents from that era.
Another historical figure with the surname Boscaino was Francesco Boscaino, a Sicilian painter who lived in the 17th century. He was known for his religious paintings and frescoes, some of which can still be found in churches throughout Sicily.
In the 18th century, the Boscaino family gained prominence in the town of Castelbuono, Sicily. One member, Giuseppe Boscaino, served as the mayor of the town in the late 1700s. The family's influence in the region is reflected in the naming of various landmarks and streets after them.
A more recent historical figure with the surname Boscaino was Vincenzo Boscaino, an Italian politician who lived from 1861 to 1935. He served as a member of the Italian Parliament and was involved in various social and political movements in Sicily during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The surname Boscaino also appears in various historical records and documents from other parts of Italy, though it is most commonly associated with Sicily. Over time, the name has spread to other regions and countries, likely due to migration and intermarriage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boscaino
Among Census respondents with the surname Boscaino, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Boscaino 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 Boscaino surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 8
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boscaino
Boscaino 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
+7 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,639 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-18 bearers (-13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,396 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 2,639 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-13.7%) | Down 17,396 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 Boscaino 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 | #129,825 | #147,221 | -13.4% |
| Count | 131 | 113 | -13.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boscaino bearers went from 131 to 113 (-13.7% change). The surname moved down 17,396 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #147,221.
FAQ
Boscaino surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boscaino?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Boscaino. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Boscaino?
Boscaino ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Boscaino. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Boscaino.
Has Boscaino become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boscaino went from 131 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 18 (-13.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Boscaino?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boscaino, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Boscaino in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boscaino appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (7.1%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Boscaino (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 Boscaino mean?
A locational surname derived from an Italian place name meaning "from the small forest". 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 Boscaino (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 have the surname Boscaino?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.