2010
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bhusal
A Nepali surname likely derived from a place name or referring to a person from a particular region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 466 Americans carry the last name Bhusal. That puts it at #54,736 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 735,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bhusal 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
466
1 in 735,524
Census rank
#54,736
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
406
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 406 bearers of the surname Bhusal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 54736th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhusal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.5%) and Hispanic (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bhusal
The surname BHUSAL has its origins in Nepal, originating from the Sanskrit language in the early medieval period. It is derived from the word "Bhuwal," which means "land" or "earth." The name suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely landowners or worked in agriculture.
BHUSAL was initially found in the Kathmandu Valley and the surrounding hill regions of central Nepal. It is believed that the name first appeared in ancient inscriptions and manuscripts dating back to the 7th or 8th century AD, during the Licchavi period in Nepal.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BHUSAL surname can be traced back to a stone inscription from the reign of King Jayadeva II (711-724 AD), which mentions an individual named "Bhuwaldeva BHUSAL." This suggests that the name was already in use among the aristocracy and influential families of that era.
In the 12th century, a notable figure named Araniko BHUSAL, an architect and sculptor, gained fame for his contributions to the construction of the White Pagoda in Beijing, China. He was born in the Kathmandu Valley and lived from 1245 to 1306 AD.
Another prominent individual with the BHUSAL surname was Bhanu Bhakta BHUSAL, a renowned Nepali poet and writer who lived from 1814 to 1868. He is credited with reviving Nepali literature and is considered the first poet laureate of Nepal.
During the 18th century, the BHUSAL family played a significant role in the unification of Nepal under the leadership of Prithvi Narayan Shah. Kalu Pandey BHUSAL, born in 1736, was a prominent military general and statesman who served as the chief advisor to King Prithvi Narayan Shah.
Another notable figure was Shree Krishna BHUSAL, a Nepali military commander who lived from 1809 to 1877. He played a crucial role in the Anglo-Nepali War (1814-1816) and is renowned for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
In more recent times, Pushpa Lal BHUSAL (1926-2011) was a respected Nepali diplomat and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Nepal from 1983 to 1986.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bhusal
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhusal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.5%) and Hispanic (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bhusal 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 Bhusal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander98.5% · 400
- Black or African American0.5% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 2
- Two or more races0.5% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bhusal
Bhusal 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
#54,736
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 406
+284 bearers (+232.8%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Up 82,591 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #54,736 | 406 | 0.14 | +284 bearers (+232.8%) | Up 82,591 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 Bhusal 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 | #137,327 | #54,736 | 60.1% |
| Count | 122 | 406 | 232.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.14 | 239.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bhusal bearers went from 122 to 406 (+232.8% change). The surname moved up 82,591 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #54,736.
FAQ
Bhusal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bhusal?
Name Census estimates that about 466 living Americans carry the surname Bhusal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 735,524 residents.
How common is Bhusal?
Bhusal ranks #54,736 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 406 people with the surname Bhusal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (466), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Bhusal.
Has Bhusal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bhusal went from 122 recorded bearers to 406. That is an increase of 284 (+232.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #137,327 to #54,736.
What does the Census say about the background of Bhusal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bhusal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.5%) and Hispanic (0.5%). 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 Bhusal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.5% (400 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bhusal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (98.5%), Black (0.5%), Hispanic (0.5%). 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 Bhusal (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 Bhusal mean?
A Nepali surname likely derived from a place name or referring to a person from a particular region. 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 Bhusal (0.14 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 Bhusal?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Bhusal is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.