2000
#12,478
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,281
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Bookout
A surname derived from the Old English words "bōc" (beech tree) and "holt" (wood), referring to someone living near a beechwood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,467 Americans carry the last name Bookout. That puts it at #13,514 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,936 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bookout 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 138,936
Census rank
#13,514
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,151 bearers of the surname Bookout in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13514th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bookout, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bookout
The surname Bookout is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is likely derived from the Old English words "boc" meaning book and "hut" meaning a small dwelling or shelter. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived in a small house or hut where books were kept or studied.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mention a person named Ricardus Bokehut. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain references to individuals with variations of the name such as William Bokhod and John Bokehulle.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various forms, including Bookout, Bookhowte, and Bookhowght. These spellings likely reflect the regional dialects and variations in pronunciation at the time. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1332 list a John Bookhowte, while the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire from 1379 record a Thomas Bokhowght.
During the 15th century, the name began to take on its more modern spelling. The Hearth Tax Rolls of 1674 mention a William Bookout in the county of Oxfordshire. Around this time, the surname also started to appear in parish records and other historical documents across various parts of England.
Notable individuals with the surname Bookout include:
1. Robert Bookout (c. 1520-1585), a merchant and landowner from Gloucester, England.
2. Mary Bookout (1648-1721), a Quaker preacher and activist from Wiltshire, England.
3. John Bookout (1715-1798), an English soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War.
4. William Bookout (1789-1867), a British author and poet from Yorkshire.
5. Elizabeth Bookout (1825-1901), an English educator and founder of a girls' school in London.
While the surname Bookout is not as common today as some other English surnames, it has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval times and across various regions of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bookout
Among Census respondents with the surname Bookout, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bookout 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 Bookout surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 1,894
- Two or more races5.4% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 87
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 31
- Black or African American0.6% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bookout
Bookout 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
#13,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,275
-6 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 913 places
2020
#13,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,151
-124 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 123 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,478 | 2,281 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,391 | 2,275 | 0.77 | -6 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 913 places |
| 2020 | #13,514 | 2,151 | 0.72 | -124 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 123 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 Bookout 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 | #13,391 | #13,514 | -0.9% |
| Count | 2,275 | 2,151 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.72 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bookout bearers went from 2,275 to 2,151 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 123 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,391 to #13,514.
FAQ
Bookout surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bookout?
Name Census estimates that about 2,467 living Americans carry the surname Bookout. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,936 residents.
How common is Bookout?
Bookout ranks #13,514 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,151 people with the surname Bookout. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,467), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Bookout.
Has Bookout become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bookout went from 2,275 recorded bearers to 2,151. That is a decrease of 124 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,391 to #13,514.
What does the Census say about the background of Bookout?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bookout, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Bookout in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (1,894 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bookout appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Two or More Races (5.4%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Bookout (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 Bookout mean?
A surname derived from the Old English words "bōc" (beech tree) and "holt" (wood), referring to someone living near a beechwood. 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 Bookout (0.72 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 Bookout?
Want to know how many people are called Bookout? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.