2000
#25,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 916
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.34
Rare Last name
Bou
A surname with possible Arabic origins meaning "owl" or derived from an honorific title.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,208 Americans carry the last name Bou. That puts it at #24,725 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 283,737 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bou 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
1.2K
1 in 283,737
Census rank
#24,725
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,053 bearers of the surname Bou in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 24725th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bou, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 46.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (36.8%) and White (11.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bou
The surname "Bou" is believed to have originated in France, specifically in the region of Normandy, during the Middle Ages. It is likely derived from the Old French word "bou," meaning "ox" or "cattle." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone who worked with oxen or cattle, such as a farmer or a drover.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "Bou" can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and property holdings in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Robert Bou, who held lands in the county of Berkshire.
In the 12th century, a notable figure named Raoul Bou was recorded as a member of the Knights Templar, a prestigious military order during the Crusades. Raoul Bou participated in several campaigns in the Holy Land and is believed to have perished in the Battle of Hattin in 1187.
During the 13th century, the name "Bou" was found in various records across Normandy and other parts of northern France. One example is Jean Bou, a merchant from the town of Rouen who was mentioned in trade documents from the year 1275.
In the 14th century, a variant spelling of the name, "Bouw," appeared in the Low Countries (present-day Belgium and Netherlands). A notable individual with this spelling was Pieter Bouw, a renowned artist and painter from the city of Bruges, who lived between 1330 and 1390.
Another notable figure with the surname "Bou" was Jacques Bou, a French philosopher and theologian who lived from 1440 to 1512. He taught at the University of Paris and was known for his writings on metaphysics and natural philosophy.
Over time, the name "Bou" spread to other regions of Europe, possibly through migration or trade. In the 16th century, a man named Juan Bou was recorded as one of the early Spanish settlers in the Americas, arriving in the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo (present-day Dominican Republic) in 1542.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bou
Among Census respondents with the surname Bou, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 46.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (36.8%) and White (11.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bou 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 Bou surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander46.2% · 486
- Hispanic or Latino36.8% · 387
- White11.6% · 122
- Two or more races3.2% · 34
- Black or African American2.3% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bou
Bou 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
#24,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,039
+123 bearers (+13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Up 1,188 places
2020
#24,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,053
+14 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Down 539 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,374 | 916 | 0.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,186 | 1,039 | 0.35 | +123 bearers (+13.4%) | Up 1,188 places |
| 2020 | #24,725 | 1,053 | 0.35 | +14 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 539 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 Bou 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 | #24,186 | #24,725 | -2.2% |
| Count | 1,039 | 1,053 | 1.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.35 | 0.35 | 0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bou bearers went from 1,039 to 1,053 (+1.3% change). The surname moved down 539 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,186 to #24,725.
FAQ
Bou surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bou?
Name Census estimates that about 1,208 living Americans carry the surname Bou. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 283,737 residents.
How common is Bou?
Bou ranks #24,725 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.35 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 1,053 people with the surname Bou. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,208), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.35 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 Bou.
Has Bou become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bou went from 1,039 recorded bearers to 1,053. That is an increase of 14 (+1.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #24,186 to #24,725.
What does the Census say about the background of Bou?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bou, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 46.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (36.8%) and White (11.6%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bou in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.2% (486 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bou appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (46.2%), Hispanic (36.8%), White (11.6%). 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 Bou (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 Bou mean?
A surname with possible Arabic origins meaning "owl" or derived from an honorific title. 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 Bou (0.35 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 Bou?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.