2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bodhaine
A topographical surname denoting someone who lived near a hillock or small hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Bodhaine. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bodhaine 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Bodhaine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bodhaine, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bodhaine
The surname Bodhaine originated in Scotland during the medieval period, likely derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "boidhean," meaning "small yellow plant" or "little yellow flower." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person who lived near or worked with certain types of yellow-flowering plants.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Black Book of Paisley, a 14th-century cartulary from the Abbey of Paisley in Renfrewshire, Scotland. Here, the name is spelled "Bodhayne," suggesting that the spelling has evolved over time.
In the late 15th century, a certain Duncan Bodhaine is mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, indicating that the name was present in official records during this period. This Duncan Bodhaine may have been a landowner or taxpayer of some significance.
During the 16th century, the name appears to have spread to other regions of Scotland, as evidenced by the presence of a John Bodhaine in the Burgh Records of Edinburgh in 1532. This suggests that the name had become more widely dispersed by this time.
One notable figure with the surname Bodhaine was Robert Bodhaine, a Scottish poet and writer who lived in the late 17th century. Born in 1653 in Ayrshire, Bodhaine is best known for his collection of poems titled "The Thistle and the Rose," which celebrated the union of Scotland and England under the House of Stuart.
Another individual of note was James Bodhaine, a Scottish merchant and explorer who lived in the early 19th century. Born in 1785 in Aberdeen, Bodhaine is said to have traveled extensively throughout the Americas and the Caribbean, keeping detailed journals of his voyages and encounters with various indigenous cultures.
In the 18th century, the name Bodhaine appears to have been present in the Shetland Islands, as evidenced by the birth of Margaret Bodhaine in 1742 in the parish of Lerwick. This suggests that the name had spread to the northern islands of Scotland by this time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in North America is that of William Bodhaine, a Scottish immigrant who arrived in Virginia in the late 17th century. Records show that he was granted land in the colony in 1689, indicating that he may have been among the earliest Bodhaine settlers in the New World.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bodhaine
Among Census respondents with the surname Bodhaine, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bodhaine 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 Bodhaine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 6
- Two or more races4.4% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bodhaine
Bodhaine 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
#123,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
+18 bearers (+14.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 5,823 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-25 bearers (-18.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,699 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #123,796 | 139 | 0.05 | +18 bearers (+14.9%) | Up 5,823 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -25 bearers (-18.0%) | Down 22,699 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 Bodhaine 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 | #123,796 | #146,495 | -18.3% |
| Count | 139 | 114 | -18.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bodhaine bearers went from 139 to 114 (-18.0% change). The surname moved down 22,699 positions in the national ranking, going from #123,796 to #146,495.
FAQ
Bodhaine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bodhaine?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Bodhaine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Bodhaine?
Bodhaine ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Bodhaine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Bodhaine.
Has Bodhaine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bodhaine went from 139 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 25 (-18.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #123,796 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Bodhaine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bodhaine, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Bodhaine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bodhaine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Hispanic (5.3%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Bodhaine (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 Bodhaine mean?
A topographical surname denoting someone who lived near a hillock or small hill. 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 Bodhaine (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 Americans have the surname Bodhaine?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.