Bohr last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Bohr is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bohr.

Meaning of Bohr

An etymologically disputed surname possibly derived from the Germanic word "bur" meaning "dwelling".

Bohr, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bohr surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bohr in America

Bohr is the 16228th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bohr surname appeared 1,779 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bohr.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bohr to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 16228 15490 4.65%
Count 1,779 1,735 2.50%
Proportion per 100k 0.60 0.64 -6.45%

The history of the last name Bohr

The surname BOHR originated in Denmark during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Danish word "bor," meaning a dwelling or a small farmstead. The name likely referred to someone who lived in a small rural settlement or a particular homestead.

BOHR was initially a place name that later became a hereditary surname. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in Danish parish records from the 16th century. In some cases, the name was also spelled as "Boor" or "Bor."

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Jens Bohr, a Danish farmer who lived in the late 16th century. Another notable historical figure was Niels Bohr, a renowned Danish physicist born in 1885. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922 for his groundbreaking work on atomic structure and quantum theory.

In the 17th century, the name appeared in various Danish documents, such as the Danish Census Book of 1676. During this period, the spelling "Bohr" became more standardized.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, several individuals with the surname BOHR achieved recognition in various fields. Hans Christian Bohr, born in 1798, was a Danish mathematician and academic. He made significant contributions to the field of geometry.

Another notable bearer of the name was Christian Hendrik Bohr, born in 1811, who was a Danish philologist and linguist. He specialized in the study of Scandinavian languages and their historical development.

In the 20th century, the BOHR surname gained international recognition due to the accomplishments of Niels Bohr and his son, Aage Bohr. Aage Bohr, born in 1922, was also a renowned physicist who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1975 for his work on the structure of atomic nuclei.

The surname BOHR has a rich historical legacy, deeply rooted in Danish culture and tradition. While it originated as a humble place name, it has been carried by numerous individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields, particularly in the sciences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bohr

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bohr.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bohr was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.83% 1,687
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.45% 8
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.63% 29
Hispanic Origin 2.81% 50

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bohr has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.83% 95.10% -0.28%
Black (S)% 0.29% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.45% 0.69% -42.11%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.35% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.63% 1.10% 38.83%
Hispanic 2.81% 2.48% 12.48%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bohr was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bohr, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Bohr last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 16, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/bohr-surname-popularity/.

"Bohr last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/bohr-surname-popularity/. Accessed 16 July, 2025

Bohr last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/bohr-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.