2000
#33,054
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 653
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.24
Very Rare Last name
Boorman
A surname derived from an Old English word meaning peasant or countryman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 823 Americans carry the last name Boorman. That puts it at #34,057 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 416,469 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boorman 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Boorman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
823
1 in 416,469
Census rank
#34,057
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
718
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 718 bearers of the surname Boorman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34057th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boorman, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boorman
The surname Boorman is of English origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is thought to derive from the Old English words "bur" meaning a cottage or dwelling, and "mann" meaning a person or man. Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived in a small cottage or humble dwelling.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1285, where a Richard Boreman is mentioned. The spelling variations at this time included Boreman, Bourman, and Burman. These early spellings reflect the name's roots in the Old English language.
In the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, a Thomas Burman is listed, indicating the spread of the name across different regions of England. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also reference a John Burman, further cementing the name's presence in historical records.
During the 16th century, the more modern spelling of Boorman began to emerge. One notable figure from this period was Richard Boorman, a merchant and alderman of London, who was born around 1530 and passed away in 1593.
In the 17th century, the surname can be found in various parish records across England. One example is John Boorman, who was born in 1612 in Worcestershire and served as a member of the English Parliament in the 1650s.
The 18th century saw the rise of Sir Nathan Boorman, a prominent British naval officer who was born in 1720. He played a significant role in several military campaigns and was knighted for his service in 1779.
Moving into the 19th century, the name Boorman continued to be represented across various fields. One notable figure was John Boorman, a British writer and poet who was born in 1806 and published several works throughout his lifetime.
Another individual of note was Walter Boorman, a British artist and illustrator who was born in 1855. He gained recognition for his landscape paintings and illustrations, particularly those depicting rural English scenes.
As the name spread beyond England, it also gained a foothold in other parts of the world. For instance, in the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name was Richard Boorman, who was born in 1630 in Massachusetts and was among the early English settlers in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boorman
Among Census respondents with the surname Boorman, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Boorman 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 Boorman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 635
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 38
- Two or more races3.9% · 28
- Black or African American1.1% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boorman
Boorman 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
#35,721
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 629
-24 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 2,667 places
2020
#34,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 718
+89 bearers (+14.1%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Up 1,664 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #33,054 | 653 | 0.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #35,721 | 629 | 0.21 | -24 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 2,667 places |
| 2020 | #34,057 | 718 | 0.24 | +89 bearers (+14.1%) | Up 1,664 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 Boorman 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 | #35,721 | #34,057 | 4.7% |
| Count | 629 | 718 | 14.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.24 | 14.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boorman bearers went from 629 to 718 (+14.1% change). The surname moved up 1,664 positions in the national ranking, going from #35,721 to #34,057.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Boorman
FAQ
Boorman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boorman?
Name Census estimates that about 823 living Americans carry the surname Boorman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 416,469 residents.
How common is Boorman?
Boorman ranks #34,057 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 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 718 people with the surname Boorman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (823), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 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 Boorman.
Has Boorman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boorman went from 629 recorded bearers to 718. That is an increase of 89 (+14.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #35,721 to #34,057.
What does the Census say about the background of Boorman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boorman, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Boorman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (635 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boorman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Hispanic (5.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Boorman (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 Boorman mean?
A surname derived from an Old English word meaning peasant or countryman. 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 Boorman (0.24 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 Americans have the surname Boorman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.