2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bookamer
A variant spelling of the German surname Buchheimer, likely derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Bookamer. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bookamer 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Bookamer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bookamer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bookamer
The surname Bookamer traces its origins to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from the Old English words "boc," meaning "book," and "mere," meaning "lake" or "pool." This suggests that the name was originally a topographic name for someone who lived near a body of water where books or manuscripts were produced or stored.
The earliest recorded mention of the name Bookamer can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bochemer." This entry suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the late 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name Bookamer was particularly prevalent in the counties of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, where several manors and villages bore similar names, such as Bookham and Bockmer. It is likely that the name originated in one of these areas, where the earliest bearers of the name lived near a lake or pool associated with book production or storage.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William Bookamer, who was born in Oxfordshire around 1250. He was a renowned scribe and illuminator of manuscripts, and his work can be found in several surviving medieval texts.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings, including Bokemere, Bokemere, and Bokemare. During this period, a notable figure was John Bookamer (c. 1320-1390), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire.
By the 16th century, the spelling had evolved to its modern form, Bookamer. One of the most prominent individuals with this surname was Sir Thomas Bookamer (1525-1598), a Member of Parliament and Lord Mayor of London.
In the 17th century, the name spread to other parts of England, as well as to the American colonies. A notable figure from this period was Reverend Jonathan Bookamer (1630-1695), a Puritan minister who emigrated from England to Massachusetts in 1650.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Bookamer name continued to be found in various parts of England and the United States. Some notable bearers included Sir William Bookamer (1740-1812), a British naval officer, and Samuel Bookamer (1785-1858), an American politician and lawyer from Pennsylvania.
While the surname Bookamer is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich history dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including scribes, merchants, politicians, and military figures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bookamer
Among Census respondents with the surname Bookamer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bookamer 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 Bookamer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 102
- Two or more races7.2% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bookamer
Bookamer 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,559 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 318 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 6,559 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 318 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 Bookamer 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 | #148,347 | #148,665 | -0.2% |
| Count | 111 | 111 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bookamer bearers went from 111 to 111 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 318 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #148,665.
FAQ
Bookamer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bookamer?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Bookamer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Bookamer?
Bookamer ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Bookamer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bookamer.
Has Bookamer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bookamer went from 111 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Bookamer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bookamer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Bookamer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bookamer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (7.2%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Bookamer (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 Bookamer mean?
A variant spelling of the German surname Buchheimer, likely derived from a place name. 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 Bookamer (0.04 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 surname Bookamer?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.