2000
#33,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 648
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.24
Rare Last name
Bhuiyan
A surname indicating a person belonged to the landowning class or aristocracy in parts of South Asia.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,840 Americans carry the last name Bhuiyan. That puts it at #12,031 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,688 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bhuiyan 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 Bhuiyan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 120,688
Census rank
#12,031
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,477 bearers of the surname Bhuiyan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12031st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhuiyan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.0%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bhuiyan
The surname Bhuiyan is of Bengali origin and can be traced back to the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, particularly the areas that are now part of Bangladesh. It is derived from the Bengali word 'bhui,' which means land or earth, and the suffix 'yan,' which denotes a person or group associated with a particular trait or occupation. Together, the name Bhuiyan refers to landowners or individuals who had a close association with the land, such as farmers or agriculturalists.
The surname Bhuiyan has a long history in the region, with references dating back to the medieval period. It is mentioned in several historical records and manuscripts from that era, including land ownership documents and revenue records maintained by local administrators and rulers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bhuiyan can be found in the 'Ain-i-Akbari,' a 16th-century administrative document compiled during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. This text provides details on the revenue system and taxation policies implemented in various regions of the Mughal Empire, including Bengal.
Notably, the Bhuiyan surname has been associated with several influential figures throughout history. One such individual was Mir Qasim, a prominent Nawab (ruler) of Bengal who lived from 1737 to 1777. He played a significant role in the resistance against the British East India Company and is considered a key figure in the struggle for Bengal's independence.
Another notable Bhuiyan was Haji Mohammad Mohsin, a philanthropist and social reformer who lived from 1732 to 1812. He established the Mohsin College in Hughli, West Bengal, which was one of the earliest modern educational institutions in the region.
In the realm of literature, the name Bhuiyan is associated with Syed Mujtaba Ali, a Bengali writer and educationist born in 1904. His works, such as 'Desher Upannash' (Tales of the Homeland) and 'Admajaner Chhele' (Son of the Soil), are celebrated for their vivid depictions of rural Bengali life and culture.
Additionally, the Bhuiyan surname has been linked to several place names in the Bengal region, such as Bhuiyan Haat, Bhuiyan Para, and Bhuiyan Chak, which are villages or localities that likely derived their names from the presence of Bhuiyan families or landowners in those areas.
It's worth noting that the spelling of the surname may have varied slightly over time, with alternative spellings like 'Bhuyan' or 'Bhoyan' being used in some historical records or manuscripts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bhuiyan
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhuiyan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.0%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bhuiyan 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 Bhuiyan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.0% · 2,328
- White1.8% · 44
- Two or more races1.7% · 42
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 37
- Black or African American0.9% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bhuiyan
Bhuiyan 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
#19,075
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,427
+779 bearers (+120.2%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Up 14,173 places
2020
#12,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,477
+1,050 bearers (+73.6%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 7,044 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #33,248 | 648 | 0.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,075 | 1,427 | 0.48 | +779 bearers (+120.2%) | Up 14,173 places |
| 2020 | #12,031 | 2,477 | 0.83 | +1,050 bearers (+73.6%) | Up 7,044 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 Bhuiyan 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 | #19,075 | #12,031 | 36.9% |
| Count | 1,427 | 2,477 | 73.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.48 | 0.83 | 72.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bhuiyan bearers went from 1,427 to 2,477 (+73.6% change). The surname moved up 7,044 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,075 to #12,031.
FAQ
Bhuiyan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bhuiyan?
Name Census estimates that about 2,840 living Americans carry the surname Bhuiyan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,688 residents.
How common is Bhuiyan?
Bhuiyan ranks #12,031 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,477 people with the surname Bhuiyan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,840), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bhuiyan.
Has Bhuiyan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bhuiyan went from 1,427 recorded bearers to 2,477. That is an increase of 1,050 (+73.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #19,075 to #12,031.
What does the Census say about the background of Bhuiyan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhuiyan, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.0%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bhuiyan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (2,328 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bhuiyan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (94.0%), White (1.8%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Bhuiyan (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 Bhuiyan mean?
A surname indicating a person belonged to the landowning class or aristocracy in parts of South Asia. 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 Bhuiyan (0.83 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 Bhuiyan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.