2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bookter
Of English origin, meaning a person who bound books.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Bookter. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bookter 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Bookter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bookter, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bookter
The surname BOOKTER has its origins in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "boc," meaning "book," and the occupational suffix "-ter," indicating someone who worked with books, such as a scribe or a bookbinder.
One of the earliest known references to this surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire from 1273, which mentions a certain Roger Bookter. The Hundred Rolls were a series of administrative records compiled during the reign of King Edward I, providing valuable insights into the names and occupations of people living in England at the time.
The BOOKTER surname also appears in several medieval tax records and court rolls, suggesting that the family had established a presence in various parts of England. For instance, a Robert Bookter is mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327, while a William Bookter is listed in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire from 1348.
In the 15th century, the name took on variations such as Booktere, Booktour, and Boucktour, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings during that era. One notable figure from this period was John Booktour, a merchant from Bristol who lived between 1420 and 1489.
As the centuries progressed, the BOOKTER surname spread across different regions of England, with some families settling in areas such as Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and Somerset. In the 17th century, a prominent member of the family was Richard Bookter (1612-1688), a landowner and local magistrate in Dorset.
Other notable individuals bearing the BOOKTER surname include:
1. Thomas Bookter (1745-1823), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.
2. Elizabeth Bookter (1795-1867), an English philanthropist and social reformer who founded several charitable organizations in London.
3. James Bookter (1832-1901), a British engineer and inventor credited with developing an early form of the typewriter.
4. William Bookter (1864-1941), a Scottish artist known for his landscape paintings of the Scottish Highlands.
5. Mary Bookter (1892-1978), a British educator and suffragette who campaigned for women's right to vote in the early 20th century.
While the BOOKTER surname has its roots in medieval England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, with descendants living in various countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. The name continues to carry the legacy of its occupational origins, serving as a reminder of the important role that books and literacy played in shaping the history of this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bookter
Among Census respondents with the surname Bookter, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bookter 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 Bookter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 95
- Black or African American10.5% · 12
- Two or more races4.4% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bookter
Bookter 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,418 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 294 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,418 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 294 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 Bookter 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 | #146,201 | #146,495 | -0.2% |
| Count | 113 | 114 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bookter bearers went from 113 to 114 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 294 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #146,495.
FAQ
Bookter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bookter?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Bookter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Bookter?
Bookter ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Bookter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Bookter.
Has Bookter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bookter went from 113 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Bookter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bookter, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Bookter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bookter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Black (10.5%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Bookter (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 Bookter mean?
Of English origin, meaning a person who bound books. 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 Bookter (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 share the surname Bookter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.