2010
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bossy
A surname derived from the Old French word "boissie," meaning arrogant or domineering.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 200 Americans carry the last name Bossy. That puts it at #108,494 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,713,772 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bossy 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
200
1 in 1,713,772
Census rank
#108,494
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
174
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 174 bearers of the surname Bossy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 108494th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bossy, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 66.1%. The next largest groups are White (23.0%) and Hispanic (6.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bossy
The surname "BOSSY" is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period. The name is derived from the Old French word "bosse," which means "hump" or "protuberance." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a physical characteristic, such as a hunchback or a prominent feature.
The earliest known record of the surname "BOSSY" dates back to the 13th century in the region of Normandy, France. It was found in various local records and documents from that time period, although the exact spelling may have varied slightly.
During the late Middle Ages, the name "BOSSY" appeared in several historical records and manuscripts, including the Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen, a 14th-century document that listed the names of prominent citizens of the city of Rouen, in northern France.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname "BOSSY" was Jean Bossy, a French merchant who lived in the town of Dieppe in the 15th century. Another notable figure was Pierre Bossy, a scholar and theologian from Paris, who was born in 1528 and died in 1594.
In the 17th century, the name "BOSSY" was also found in various parts of England, suggesting that some individuals with this surname may have migrated from France to England during that time period. One such person was John Bossy, an English clergyman and author who was born in 1619 and died in 1680.
Another notable individual with the surname "BOSSY" was Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, a French bishop and renowned preacher who lived from 1627 to 1704. He was a prominent figure in the literary and religious circles of his time and is considered one of the greatest orators in French history.
In the 19th century, the name "BOSSY" gained recognition in the field of science with the French mathematician and astronomer Urbain Bossy, who was born in 1837 and made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bossy
Among Census respondents with the surname Bossy, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 66.1%. The next largest groups are White (23.0%) and Hispanic (6.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bossy 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 Bossy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander66.1% · 115
- White23.0% · 40
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 11
- Two or more races2.9% · 5
- Black or African American1.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bossy
Bossy appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#108,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 174
+48 bearers (+38.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 25,369 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #108,494 | 174 | 0.06 | +48 bearers (+38.1%) | Up 25,369 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 Bossy 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 | #133,863 | #108,494 | 19.0% |
| Count | 126 | 174 | 38.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.06 | 45.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bossy bearers went from 126 to 174 (+38.1% change). The surname moved up 25,369 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #108,494.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bossy
FAQ
Bossy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bossy?
Name Census estimates that about 200 living Americans carry the surname Bossy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,713,772 residents.
How common is Bossy?
Bossy ranks #108,494 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 174 people with the surname Bossy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (200), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Bossy.
Has Bossy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bossy went from 126 recorded bearers to 174. That is an increase of 48 (+38.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #133,863 to #108,494.
What does the Census say about the background of Bossy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bossy, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 66.1%. The next largest groups are White (23.0%) and Hispanic (6.3%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bossy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.1% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bossy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (66.1%), White (23.0%), Hispanic (6.3%). 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 Bossy (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 Bossy mean?
A surname derived from the Old French word "boissie," meaning arrogant or domineering. 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 Bossy (0.06 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 Americans have the surname Bossy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.