2000
#3,103
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,717
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.97
Uncommon Last name
Boehm
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the place name Böhmen, referring to someone from Bohemia.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,966 Americans carry the last name Boehm. That puts it at #3,359 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 28,644 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boehm 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 Boehm with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 28,644
Census rank
#3,359
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,435 bearers of the surname Boehm in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3359th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boehm, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boehm
The surname Boehm has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the 12th century. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "boum" or "bohem," meaning "Bohemian," referring to someone from the region of Bohemia, which is now part of the Czech Republic.
In its earliest recorded instances, the name appeared as "Böheim" or "Böhem" in various medieval German documents and records. It is believed that the name may have been initially given to individuals who had migrated from Bohemia to other parts of Germany or who had some connection to the region.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Johann Böheim, a merchant from the city of Nuremberg, who lived in the late 14th century. Another notable figure was Ulrich Böheim, a scholar and writer from the city of Augsburg, who lived during the 15th century and authored several works on theology and philosophy.
As the name spread across Germany and other parts of Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, including Böhm, Boehme, Böhmer, and Boehmer. Some of these variations were influenced by regional dialects and local pronunciation patterns.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name gained prominence through several notable figures, such as Jacob Böhme (1575-1624), a German mystic and philosopher known for his influential works on Christian mysticism and theosophy. Another notable bearer was Johann Böhm (1595-1667), a German astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of comets and planetary motion.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the name Boehm continued to be found across various regions of Germany, as well as in other parts of Europe where German immigrants had settled. One notable figure from this period was Theobald Böhm (1794-1881), a German flautist and composer who is credited with developing the modern flute design known as the Böhm system.
Throughout its history, the surname Boehm has been associated with various occupations and professions, including merchants, scholars, artists, and scientists. While its origins can be traced back to Bohemia, the name has become widely dispersed across Germany and other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boehm
Among Census respondents with the surname Boehm, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Boehm 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 Boehm surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 9,737
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 286
- Two or more races2.7% · 277
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 79
- Black or African American0.3% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boehm
Boehm 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
#3,340
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,730
+13 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 3.64
Rank movement Down 237 places
2020
#3,359
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,435
-295 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 3.49
Rank movement Down 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,103 | 10,717 | 3.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,340 | 10,730 | 3.64 | +13 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 237 places |
| 2020 | #3,359 | 10,435 | 3.49 | -295 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 19 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 Boehm 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 | #3,340 | #3,359 | -0.6% |
| Count | 10,730 | 10,435 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.64 | 3.49 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boehm bearers went from 10,730 to 10,435 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,340 to #3,359.
FAQ
Boehm surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boehm?
Name Census estimates that about 11,966 living Americans carry the surname Boehm. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 28,644 residents.
How common is Boehm?
Boehm ranks #3,359 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,435 people with the surname Boehm. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,966), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Boehm.
Has Boehm become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boehm went from 10,730 recorded bearers to 10,435. That is a decrease of 295 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,340 to #3,359.
What does the Census say about the background of Boehm?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boehm, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Boehm in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (9,737 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boehm appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Boehm (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 Boehm mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the place name Böhmen, referring to someone from Bohemia. 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 Boehm (3.49 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 Boehm?
You can see how many people are called Boehm on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.