2000
#13,359
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,092
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Bodin
A French occupational surname for a maker or seller of measures or for a surveyor or messenger.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,261 Americans carry the last name Bodin. That puts it at #14,532 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 151,594 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bodin 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 Bodin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 151,594
Census rank
#14,532
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,972 bearers of the surname Bodin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14532nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bodin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bodin
The surname Bodin is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "bodin" which meant "plump" or "fat." It first appeared in the early 12th century in various regions of northern France, particularly in Normandy and Brittany.
The earliest recorded bearer of the name was Guillelmus Bodin, who was mentioned in the Cartulaire de Beaumont-le-Roger, a medieval document from the 12th century. Another early reference can be found in the Livre des Bourgeois d'Arras, a register of citizens from the city of Arras, which lists several individuals with the surname Bodin in the 13th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name Bodin was also found in various forms, such as Bodyn, Boudin, and Boudyn, reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. One notable bearer was Jean Bodin (1530-1596), a French philosopher and political theorist who wrote the influential work "Six Books of the Commonwealth."
In England, the name Bodin appeared after the Norman Conquest of 1066, carried by Norman settlers who accompanied William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book, a great survey of England completed in 1086, records several individuals with the name, including Radulfus Bodin and Robertus Bodin.
Another significant figure was Samuel Bodin (1676-1737), a French Protestant refugee who fled to England during the religious persecutions of the late 17th century. He became a successful merchant and philanthropist in London.
Other notable individuals with the surname Bodin include Félix Bodin (1795-1857), a French botanist and paleontologist; Camille Bodin (1870-1918), a French artist and lithographer; and André Bodin (1920-2004), a French politician and diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bodin
Among Census respondents with the surname Bodin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bodin 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 Bodin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 1,784
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 92
- Two or more races2.1% · 42
- Black or African American1.7% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bodin
Bodin 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
#14,113
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,129
+37 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 754 places
2020
#14,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,972
-157 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 419 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,359 | 2,092 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,113 | 2,129 | 0.72 | +37 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 754 places |
| 2020 | #14,532 | 1,972 | 0.66 | -157 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 419 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 Bodin 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 | #14,113 | #14,532 | -3.0% |
| Count | 2,129 | 1,972 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.66 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bodin bearers went from 2,129 to 1,972 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 419 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,113 to #14,532.
FAQ
Bodin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bodin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,261 living Americans carry the surname Bodin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 151,594 residents.
How common is Bodin?
Bodin ranks #14,532 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,972 people with the surname Bodin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,261), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Bodin.
Has Bodin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bodin went from 2,129 recorded bearers to 1,972. That is a decrease of 157 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,113 to #14,532.
What does the Census say about the background of Bodin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bodin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Bodin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (1,784 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bodin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (4.7%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Bodin (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 Bodin mean?
A French occupational surname for a maker or seller of measures or for a surveyor or messenger. 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 Bodin (0.66 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 surname Bodin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.