2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bhuller
A surname derived from an occupational term for a grain miller or miller's assistant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Bhuller. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bhuller 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Bhuller in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhuller, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.0%. The next largest groups are White (9.3%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bhuller
The surname Bhuller is believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent, with its roots tracing back to the Punjab region of northern India and eastern Pakistan. The name is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "bhullar," which means "a person who keeps changing their place of residence" or "a nomad."
In the early centuries, the Bhuller surname was most commonly found among the Rajput community, a group of warriors and landowners who held significant power and influence in the region. The name may have been initially used to refer to those who frequently moved from one place to another, either for military campaigns or in search of better opportunities.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Bhuller can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. This document includes a list of various clans and communities, including the Bhullers, indicating their presence in the region during that time period.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, several notable individuals with the Bhuller surname emerged, including Maharaja Ranjit Singh Bhuller (1780-1839), the founder of the Sikh Empire in the Punjab region. His exploits and military campaigns played a significant role in shaping the history of the region.
Another prominent figure was Sardar Hari Singh Bhuller (1889-1949), a politician and social reformer who served as the Prime Minister of the Kapurthala State during the British Raj. He was instrumental in introducing various educational and social reforms in the region.
In the literary sphere, Bhai Vir Singh Bhuller (1872-1957) was a renowned Sikh scholar, theologian, and writer who played a pivotal role in the Singh Sabha Movement, a religious and social reform movement within the Sikh community.
The Bhuller surname can also be found in various historical records and manuscripts from the region, such as land ownership documents, military records, and official correspondences from the Mughal and British colonial periods.
Other noteworthy individuals with the Bhuller surname include Sardar Bahadur Sardar Shamsher Singh Bhuller (1859-1926), a prominent landowner and philanthropist in the Punjab region, and Sardar Gurnam Singh Bhuller (1915-1988), a highly decorated officer in the British Indian Army who served during World War II and later became a politician in independent India.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bhuller
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhuller, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.0%. The next largest groups are White (9.3%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bhuller 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 Bhuller surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander85.0% · 91
- White9.3% · 10
- Two or more races5.6% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bhuller
Bhuller 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
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,405 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 4,405 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 Bhuller 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 | #156,044 | #151,639 | 2.8% |
| Count | 104 | 107 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bhuller bearers went from 104 to 107 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 4,405 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #151,639.
FAQ
Bhuller surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bhuller?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Bhuller. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Bhuller?
Bhuller ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Bhuller. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Bhuller.
Has Bhuller become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bhuller went from 104 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 3 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Bhuller?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhuller, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 85.0%. The next largest groups are White (9.3%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Bhuller in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bhuller appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (85.0%), White (9.3%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Bhuller (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 Bhuller mean?
A surname derived from an occupational term for a grain miller or miller's assistant. 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 Bhuller (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 share the surname Bhuller?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.