2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bouker
A variant of the French surname Boucher, meaning a butcher or meat seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Bouker. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bouker 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 Bouker with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Bouker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bouker, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bouker
The surname Bouker is believed to have originated in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "bucc," meaning "buck" or "male deer," and the suffix "-er," indicating an occupation or trade. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who worked with deer, such as a hunter or a deer farmer.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Bouker can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, dating back to 1273. These rolls were a survey of landholdings and residents in various counties of England, and they mention a person named William Boukere residing in Cambridgeshire at that time.
In the 14th century, the name appears to have been concentrated in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, with variations in spelling including Bouker, Bowker, and Booker. The Norfolk Subsidy Rolls of 1327 list a John Boukere as a taxpayer in the village of Hingham.
The Bouker surname has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. In the 16th century, Richard Bouker (c. 1520-1580) was a prominent English yeoman farmer and landowner in the village of Hoxne, Suffolk. His descendants continued to hold land in the area for several generations.
Another notable figure was Thomas Bouker (1590-1670), a Puritan minister who emigrated from England to Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s. He served as the minister of the church in Reading, Massachusetts, and was known for his strict adherence to Puritan principles.
In the 18th century, John Bouker (1712-1790) was a successful merchant and ship owner in the city of Bristol, England. He was involved in the transatlantic trade and is said to have amassed a considerable fortune through his business ventures.
During the 19th century, the Bouker name appeared in various parts of England, with several individuals making noteworthy contributions. William Bouker (1825-1892) was a prominent architect in London, known for designing several churches and public buildings in the city.
Finally, one of the most renowned individuals with the Bouker surname was Sir Charles Bouker (1860-1938), a British military officer and explorer. He served in several campaigns in Africa and Asia and was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military honor in the British Empire, for his bravery during the Second Boer War in South Africa.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bouker
Among Census respondents with the surname Bouker, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bouker 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 Bouker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 98
- Black or African American3.7% · 4
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bouker
Bouker 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+20 bearers (+19.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,196 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-16 bearers (-12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,493 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +20 bearers (+19.0%) | Up 10,196 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.8%) | Down 15,493 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 Bouker 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 | #134,712 | #150,205 | -11.5% |
| Count | 125 | 109 | -12.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bouker bearers went from 125 to 109 (-12.8% change). The surname moved down 15,493 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #150,205.
FAQ
Bouker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bouker?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Bouker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Bouker?
Bouker ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Bouker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Bouker.
Has Bouker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bouker went from 125 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 16 (-12.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Bouker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bouker, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Bouker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bouker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Black (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Bouker (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 Bouker mean?
A variant of the French surname Boucher, meaning a butcher or meat seller. 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 Bouker (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 Americans have the surname Bouker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.