2010
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bouchee
A French surname derived from the word "bouche," meaning "mouth" or "mouthful."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Bouchee. 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 Bouchee 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 Bouchee 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 Bouchee, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.2%. The next largest groups are Black (32.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bouchee
The surname BOUCHEE is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "bouchee," meaning "a mouthful" or "a small portion of food." This surname likely emerged in the 12th or 13th century in France, possibly referring to an occupation or trade related to food preparation or service.
In medieval times, surnames often originated from occupations, nicknames, or descriptive attributes. The name BOUCHEE may have been given to someone who worked as a cook, baker, or server of food, or perhaps someone known for their skills in preparing or presenting small, delicate portions of food.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BOUCHEE can be found in the Chartulary of Notre-Dame de Paris, a collection of charters and deeds from the 13th century. In this document, a certain "Jehan Bouchee" is mentioned as a resident of Paris.
Another early reference to the name appears in the 14th-century Livre de la Taille, a tax record from the city of Paris. Here, a "Guillaume Bouchee" is listed among the taxpayers.
In the 15th century, a prominent bearer of the name was Jean Bouchee, a French scholar and theologian who served as the rector of the University of Paris from 1456 to 1457.
During the 16th century, the name BOUCHEE appeared in various regions of France, including Normandy and Brittany. One notable individual was Pierre Bouchee (1516-1586), a French composer and musician who served as the court composer for King Henry II of France.
In the 17th century, the name BOUCHEE was found in the records of the French colony of Quebec, Canada. One of the earliest settlers with this surname was Jacques Bouchee, who arrived in Quebec in 1663 and established a family there.
Throughout history, variations of the spelling have included Bouché, Bouchey, and Bouchier, reflecting regional differences in pronunciation and orthography.
While the surname BOUCHEE is not among the most common in France today, it has a rich history and connection to the culinary traditions and occupations of medieval and early modern France.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bouchee
Among Census respondents with the surname Bouchee, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.2%. The next largest groups are Black (32.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bouchee 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 Bouchee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.2% · 72
- Black or African American32.5% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bouchee
Bouchee appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-10 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,902 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 10,902 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 Bouchee 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 | #135,593 | #146,495 | -8.0% |
| Count | 124 | 114 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bouchee bearers went from 124 to 114 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 10,902 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #146,495.
FAQ
Bouchee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bouchee?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Bouchee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Bouchee?
Bouchee 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 Bouchee. 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 Bouchee.
Has Bouchee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bouchee went from 124 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Bouchee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bouchee, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.2%. The next largest groups are Black (32.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Bouchee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.2% (72 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bouchee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.2%), Black (32.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Bouchee (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 Bouchee mean?
A French surname derived from the word "bouche," meaning "mouth" or "mouthful." 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 Bouchee (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 have the last name Bouchee?
You can see how many people have the surname Bouchee on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.