2000
#12,865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,193
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Borum
Derived from a place name meaning "at the borehole" in Old English, likely referring to a water source.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,132 Americans carry the last name Borum. That puts it at #15,207 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 160,767 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Borum 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
2.1K
1 in 160,767
Census rank
#15,207
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,859 bearers of the surname Borum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15207th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Borum, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.5%. The next largest groups are Black (33.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Borum
The surname Borum is of Danish origin, with roots tracing back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the region of Jutland, Denmark, where it was likely derived from the Old Danish word "bor," meaning "to dwell" or "to reside." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with a particular settlement or location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Borum can be found in the Danish census records from the late 16th century, where it appears as "Boroom" and "Borrum." These variations in spelling were common during that era, as standardized spelling conventions were not yet widely adopted.
The name Borum also appeared in several historical documents from the 17th and 18th centuries, including church records and land registries. For instance, a man named Hans Borum was listed as a landowner in the village of Hjallerup, Denmark, in the year 1692.
In the 19th century, the surname Borum began to spread beyond Denmark as individuals emigrated to other parts of Europe and North America. One notable bearer of the name was Carl Borum, a Danish architect born in 1825, who was renowned for his work on several prominent buildings in Copenhagen.
Another individual of historical significance was Niels Borum, a Danish politician and lawyer who lived from 1842 to 1915. He served as a member of the Danish parliament and played a crucial role in the drafting of the Danish Constitution of 1915.
In the 20th century, the name Borum gained recognition in the field of literature with the Danish author and poet Poul Borum, who was born in 1934. His works explored themes of existentialism and the human condition, earning him critical acclaim in his home country.
Additionally, the name Borum has been associated with several place names in Denmark, such as the village of Borum located in the municipality of Viborg. This further reinforces the connection between the surname and its geographic origins.
While the surname Borum is not among the most common in Denmark today, it continues to be an important part of the country's cultural heritage, reflecting the rich history and influences that have shaped Danish society over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Borum
Among Census respondents with the surname Borum, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.5%. The next largest groups are Black (33.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Borum 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 Borum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.5% · 1,087
- Black or African American33.2% · 618
- Two or more races4.6% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Borum
Borum 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
#13,334
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,287
+94 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 469 places
2020
#15,207
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,859
-428 bearers (-18.7%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 1,873 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,865 | 2,193 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,334 | 2,287 | 0.78 | +94 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 469 places |
| 2020 | #15,207 | 1,859 | 0.62 | -428 bearers (-18.7%) | Down 1,873 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 Borum 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 | #13,334 | #15,207 | -14.0% |
| Count | 2,287 | 1,859 | -18.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.62 | -20.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Borum bearers went from 2,287 to 1,859 (-18.7% change). The surname moved down 1,873 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,334 to #15,207.
FAQ
Borum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Borum?
Name Census estimates that about 2,132 living Americans carry the surname Borum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 160,767 residents.
How common is Borum?
Borum ranks #15,207 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,859 people with the surname Borum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Borum.
Has Borum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Borum went from 2,287 recorded bearers to 1,859. That is a decrease of 428 (-18.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,334 to #15,207.
What does the Census say about the background of Borum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Borum, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.5%. The next largest groups are Black (33.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Borum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.5% (1,087 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Borum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.5%), Black (33.2%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Borum (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 Borum mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "at the borehole" in Old English, likely referring to a water source. 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 Borum (0.62 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 Borum?
Want to know how many people have the surname Borum? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.