2000
#11,174
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,603
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Boehmer
A German occupational surname referring to a person from Bohemia or a Bohemian.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,933 Americans carry the last name Boehmer. That puts it at #11,717 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,861 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boehmer 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
2.9K
1 in 116,861
Census rank
#11,717
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,558 bearers of the surname Boehmer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11717th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boehmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boehmer
The surname Boehmer is of German origin, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It likely emerged in the region of modern-day Bavaria, derived from the Old High German word "buohhari," meaning "book-writer" or "scribe." This occupation-based surname was initially bestowed upon individuals who worked as scribes, copyists, or authors.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Bucher, Buchner, and Boehmer, reflecting regional dialect variations. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a compilation of historical documents from Saxony, where a certain "Heinricus Boehmere" is mentioned in an entry dated 1294.
The surname Boehmer gained prominence during the 15th and 16th centuries, with several notable individuals bearing this name. One such figure was Georg Boehmer (1476-1539), a German humanist and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg and was a contemporary of Martin Luther.
Another notable Boehmer was Johann Samuel Friedrich von Boehmer (1704-1772), a German jurist and legal scholar who made significant contributions to the field of canon law. His works, such as the "Jus Ecclesiasticum Protestantium," became standard references in the study of Protestant ecclesiastical law.
In the realm of natural sciences, Georg Rudolf Boehmer (1723-1803) was a renowned German botanist and naturalist. He authored several influential works, including the "Flora Lipsiae" and the "Technologisches Wörterbuch," which documented plant species and their technological applications.
The Boehmer name also gained recognition in the arts, with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), the celebrated German writer and statesman, mentioning a "Boehmer" in his literary works. This reference suggests that the surname was well-established in Goethe's time and recognized among the intellectual circles of the era.
In the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals bearing the Boehmer surname was Sir Ralph Boehmer (1823-1898), a British diplomat and colonial administrator. He served as Governor of Mauritius and later as Governor of Jamaica, playing a significant role in the colonial affairs of the British Empire.
While the name Boehmer has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various regions of the world, with descendants of the original bearers residing in countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia. However, the historical significance of this surname remains deeply rooted in its German heritage and the contributions made by its notable bearers throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boehmer
Among Census respondents with the surname Boehmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Boehmer 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 Boehmer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 2,403
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 63
- Two or more races2.3% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 28
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boehmer
Boehmer 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
#11,764
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,663
+60 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 590 places
2020
#11,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,558
-105 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 47 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,174 | 2,603 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,764 | 2,663 | 0.90 | +60 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 590 places |
| 2020 | #11,717 | 2,558 | 0.86 | -105 bearers (-3.9%) | Up 47 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 Boehmer 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 | #11,764 | #11,717 | 0.4% |
| Count | 2,663 | 2,558 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.86 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boehmer bearers went from 2,663 to 2,558 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 47 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,764 to #11,717.
FAQ
Boehmer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boehmer?
Name Census estimates that about 2,933 living Americans carry the surname Boehmer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,861 residents.
How common is Boehmer?
Boehmer ranks #11,717 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,558 people with the surname Boehmer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,933), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Boehmer.
Has Boehmer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boehmer went from 2,663 recorded bearers to 2,558. That is a decrease of 105 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,764 to #11,717.
What does the Census say about the background of Boehmer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boehmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Boehmer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (2,403 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boehmer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Boehmer (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 Boehmer mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person from Bohemia or a Bohemian. 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 Boehmer (0.86 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 share the surname Boehmer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.