2000
#12,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,305
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Bogner
A German occupational surname referring to a bowmaker or archer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,502 Americans carry the last name Bogner. That puts it at #13,357 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,992 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bogner 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
2.5K
1 in 136,992
Census rank
#13,357
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,182 bearers of the surname Bogner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13357th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bogner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bogner
The surname Bogner originated in Bavaria, Germany, and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It derives from the Old German word "bogan," meaning "bow" or "archer," suggesting that the name's earliest bearers were skilled archers or bowmen.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bogner dates back to the 13th century, when a man named Heinricus Bogner was mentioned in a document from the town of Landshut in Lower Bavaria. This document suggests that the name was already well-established in that region by that time.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records from the nearby town of Freising, where several Bogner families were known to reside. One notable individual was Johannes Bogner, a respected craftsman and member of the local guild, who lived around 1380.
The Bogner name can also be found in several historical manuscripts and chronicles from the 15th and 16th centuries, including the Codex Diplomaticus Bavariæ, which contains references to various Bogner families in different parts of Bavaria.
One of the earliest known places associated with the Bogner name is the village of Bognerhausen, located near the town of Eichstätt in Bavaria. This village likely derived its name from the Bogner family who originally settled there.
Over the centuries, the Bogner name has been associated with several notable individuals, including:
1. Konrad Bogner (1490-1547), a German Renaissance painter and woodcarver from Augsburg.
2. Johann Bogner (1574-1632), a Bavarian priest and theologian who served as the canon of the Freising Cathedral.
3. Matthias Bogner (1804-1891), a German-born American Catholic priest and missionary who worked among Native American tribes in the American West.
4. Georg Bogner (1826-1892), a German painter and lithographer known for his landscapes and historical scenes.
5. Franz Bogner (1865-1936), an Austrian architect and designer who played a significant role in the development of the Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) style in Vienna.
While the Bogner name is primarily associated with Germany and Austria, it has also spread to other parts of the world through emigration, particularly in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bogner
Among Census respondents with the surname Bogner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bogner 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 Bogner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 2,038
- Two or more races3.1% · 67
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bogner
Bogner 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
#12,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,367
+62 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 611 places
2020
#13,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,182
-185 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 386 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,360 | 2,305 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,971 | 2,367 | 0.80 | +62 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 611 places |
| 2020 | #13,357 | 2,182 | 0.73 | -185 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 386 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 Bogner 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 | #12,971 | #13,357 | -3.0% |
| Count | 2,367 | 2,182 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.73 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bogner bearers went from 2,367 to 2,182 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 386 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,971 to #13,357.
FAQ
Bogner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bogner?
Name Census estimates that about 2,502 living Americans carry the surname Bogner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,992 residents.
How common is Bogner?
Bogner ranks #13,357 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,182 people with the surname Bogner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,502), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Bogner.
Has Bogner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bogner went from 2,367 recorded bearers to 2,182. That is a decrease of 185 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,971 to #13,357.
What does the Census say about the background of Bogner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bogner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Bogner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (2,038 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bogner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Bogner (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 Bogner mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a bowmaker or archer. 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 Bogner (0.73 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 Bogner?
You can see how many people have the surname Bogner on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.