2000
#14,012
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,975
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Booze
A nickname-derived surname for someone who enjoyed drinking alcohol or was frequently drunk.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,182 Americans carry the last name Booze. That puts it at #14,921 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,083 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Booze 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
2.2K
1 in 157,083
Census rank
#14,921
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,903 bearers of the surname Booze in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14921st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Booze, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.0%. The next largest groups are Black (41.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Booze
The surname "BOOZE" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "buse," which referred to a reed or rush plant that grew in marshy areas. This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive one, referring to someone who lived near a marsh or a similar wetland area.
One of the earliest known records of the name dates back to the 13th century, when a man named William Booze was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. This indicates that the name was already well-established in certain regions of England by that time.
In the 14th century, the surname appears in various forms, including "Bous," "Bowse," and "Bows," likely due to variations in spelling and pronunciation. A notable early bearer was John Bous, who was recorded in the Lay Subsidy Rolls for Staffordshire in 1327.
As the name spread across England, it evolved into different regional spellings, such as "Booze" in the south and "Bowse" in the north. This pattern of regional variations was common for many English surnames during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest known instances of the "Booze" spelling can be found in the records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, where a Thomas Booze was mentioned in 1548. This suggests that the modern spelling was becoming more established by the 16th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname "BOOZE." One example is Sir Edward Booze (1599-1674), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Taunton in the 17th century.
Another prominent figure was John Booze (1662-1728), a British architect and surveyor who worked on various projects in London, including the construction of St. Paul's Cathedral under the supervision of Sir Christopher Wren.
In the 19th century, William Booze (1811-1892) was a renowned English botanist and horticulturist who made significant contributions to the study and cultivation of various plant species.
Across the Atlantic, Sarah Booze (1788-1871) was an early settler in Ohio, United States, and is remembered for her role in establishing a thriving agricultural community in the state's wilderness.
Finally, one cannot overlook the legacy of Henry Booze (1856-1924), a British explorer and adventurer who led several expeditions to remote regions of Africa and Asia, documenting his travels and encounters with various indigenous cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Booze
Among Census respondents with the surname Booze, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.0%. The next largest groups are Black (41.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Booze 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 Booze surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.0% · 933
- Black or African American41.7% · 794
- Two or more races4.7% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Booze
Booze 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
#14,686
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,025
+50 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 674 places
2020
#14,921
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,903
-122 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 235 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,012 | 1,975 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,686 | 2,025 | 0.69 | +50 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 674 places |
| 2020 | #14,921 | 1,903 | 0.64 | -122 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 235 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 Booze 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 | #14,686 | #14,921 | -1.6% |
| Count | 2,025 | 1,903 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.64 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Booze bearers went from 2,025 to 1,903 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 235 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,686 to #14,921.
FAQ
Booze surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Booze?
Name Census estimates that about 2,182 living Americans carry the surname Booze. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,083 residents.
How common is Booze?
Booze ranks #14,921 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,903 people with the surname Booze. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,182), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Booze.
Has Booze become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Booze went from 2,025 recorded bearers to 1,903. That is a decrease of 122 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,686 to #14,921.
What does the Census say about the background of Booze?
Among Census respondents with the surname Booze, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.0%. The next largest groups are Black (41.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Booze in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.0% (933 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Booze appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.0%), Black (41.7%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Booze (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 Booze mean?
A nickname-derived surname for someone who enjoyed drinking alcohol or was frequently drunk. 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 Booze (0.64 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 common is the surname Booze?
See how many people have the surname Booze on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.