2000
#12,213
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,339
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Bodie
Derived from a place name meaning "dwelling" or "shelter" in Anglo-Saxon, likely referring to someone who lived there.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,424 Americans carry the last name Bodie. That puts it at #13,724 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,400 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bodie 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 Bodie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 141,400
Census rank
#13,724
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,114 bearers of the surname Bodie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13724th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bodie, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (16.3%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bodie
The surname Bodie is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "bodi," meaning a messenger or attendant. It first appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Bodi" in Derbyshire and Yorkshire.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers was Richard Bodi, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1230. Another early bearer was Robert Bodi, recorded in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1279.
The name was initially concentrated in the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire. It later spread to other parts of the country, with variations in spelling emerging, such as Boddy, Boadie, and Bodey.
Bodie is also associated with several place names in England, including Bodie's Well in Yorkshire and Bodie's Field in Northamptonshire. These place names likely contributed to the development of the surname in those areas.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Bodie (1470-1541), a Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire during the reign of Henry VIII. Another was William Bodie (1625-1685), a prominent English merchant and landowner in Barbados during the 17th century.
In the United States, the name Bodie gained recognition through the mining town of Bodie, California, established in 1859 during the gold rush era. The town was named after William S. Bodey (also spelled Bodie), one of the first settlers and prospectors in the area.
Other notable individuals with the surname Bodie include James Bodie (1789-1862), a Scottish-born Australian settler and landowner in New South Wales, and John Bodie (1820-1892), an Irish-born Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Canadian Parliament.
Throughout its history, the surname Bodie has maintained a relatively consistent spelling, with some minor variations. Its origins can be traced back to the Old English word "bodi," reflecting its early roots in the northern counties of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bodie
Among Census respondents with the surname Bodie, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (16.3%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bodie 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 Bodie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.8% · 1,517
- Black or African American16.3% · 344
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 98
- Two or more races3.9% · 83
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bodie
Bodie 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
#11,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,640
+301 bearers (+12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Up 350 places
2020
#13,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,114
-526 bearers (-19.9%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 1,861 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,213 | 2,339 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,863 | 2,640 | 0.89 | +301 bearers (+12.9%) | Up 350 places |
| 2020 | #13,724 | 2,114 | 0.71 | -526 bearers (-19.9%) | Down 1,861 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 Bodie 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 | #11,863 | #13,724 | -15.7% |
| Count | 2,640 | 2,114 | -19.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.71 | -20.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bodie bearers went from 2,640 to 2,114 (-19.9% change). The surname moved down 1,861 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,863 to #13,724.
FAQ
Bodie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bodie?
Name Census estimates that about 2,424 living Americans carry the surname Bodie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,400 residents.
How common is Bodie?
Bodie ranks #13,724 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,114 people with the surname Bodie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,424), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Bodie.
Has Bodie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bodie went from 2,640 recorded bearers to 2,114. That is a decrease of 526 (-19.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,863 to #13,724.
What does the Census say about the background of Bodie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bodie, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (16.3%) and Hispanic (4.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bodie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.8% (1,517 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bodie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.8%), Black (16.3%), Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Bodie (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 Bodie mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "dwelling" or "shelter" in Anglo-Saxon, likely referring to someone who lived there. 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 Bodie (0.71 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 common is the surname Bodie?
You can see how many people have the surname Bodie on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.