2000
#8,255
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,692
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.37
Rare Last name
Bogard
A French occupational surname referring to a person who made or used a billhook, a curved cutting tool.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,987 Americans carry the last name Bogard. That puts it at #9,021 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,968 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bogard 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
4.0K
1 in 85,968
Census rank
#9,021
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,477 bearers of the surname Bogard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9021st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bogard, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.0%. The next largest groups are Black (13.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bogard
The surname BOGARD has its origins in the northern regions of France, dating back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old French term "bogard," which referred to a person who lived near a bend or curve in a river or stream. This name was likely given to individuals who resided in such locations, perhaps indicating their occupation or the geographical features of their dwelling place.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BOGARD surname can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Bertin, a medieval cartulary from the 12th century, which mentions a person named Guillelmus Bogardus. This document suggests that the name was already in use during that era in the northern French regions.
The BOGARD surname is also believed to have connections to various place names in France, such as Bogard, a commune in the department of Aisne, or Bougard, a hamlet in the department of Somme. These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname over time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the BOGARD surname. One such figure was Jean Bogard (1576-1636), a French Catholic theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Paris and authored several works on metaphysics and logic.
Another prominent bearer of the BOGARD name was Martin Bogard (1637-1694), a French painter and engraver who was known for his religious works and portraits commissioned by the French nobility.
In the 19th century, Achille Bogard (1813-1885) was a French poet and dramatist who wrote several plays and poems, many of which were inspired by his native Normandy region.
Moving to the 20th century, Louis Bogard (1904-1987) was a French author and journalist who wrote extensively on historical and cultural topics, particularly focusing on the regions of Brittany and Normandy.
Lastly, one cannot overlook the contributions of Marguerite Bogard (1920-2005), a renowned French sculptor and ceramicist whose works were exhibited in galleries across Europe and the United States.
While the BOGARD surname may have originated in northern France, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with bearers of this name leaving their mark on diverse fields, from theology and philosophy to the arts and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bogard
Among Census respondents with the surname Bogard, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.0%. The next largest groups are Black (13.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bogard 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 Bogard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.0% · 2,713
- Black or African American13.3% · 464
- Two or more races4.5% · 158
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bogard
Bogard 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
#8,501
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,875
+183 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Down 246 places
2020
#9,021
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,477
-398 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 520 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,255 | 3,692 | 1.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,501 | 3,875 | 1.31 | +183 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 246 places |
| 2020 | #9,021 | 3,477 | 1.16 | -398 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 520 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 Bogard 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 | #8,501 | #9,021 | -6.1% |
| Count | 3,875 | 3,477 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.31 | 1.16 | -11.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bogard bearers went from 3,875 to 3,477 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 520 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,501 to #9,021.
FAQ
Bogard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bogard?
Name Census estimates that about 3,987 living Americans carry the surname Bogard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,968 residents.
How common is Bogard?
Bogard ranks #9,021 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 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 3,477 people with the surname Bogard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,987), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 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 Bogard.
Has Bogard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bogard went from 3,875 recorded bearers to 3,477. That is a decrease of 398 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,501 to #9,021.
What does the Census say about the background of Bogard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bogard, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.0%. The next largest groups are Black (13.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Bogard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.0% (2,713 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bogard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.0%), Black (13.3%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Bogard (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 Bogard mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a person who made or used a billhook, a curved cutting tool. 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 Bogard (1.16 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 Bogard?
If you just want to know how common the surname Bogard is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.