Find out how popular the last name Bouknight is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bouknight.

Bouknight, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bouknight surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bouknight in America

Bouknight is the 18499th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bouknight surname appeared 1,494 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bouknight.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bouknight to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bouknight

The surname BOUKNIGHT is of English origin, first appearing in records during the late 16th century. It is believed to be a variant spelling of the Old English "boc" meaning "book" and "cniht" meaning "servant" or "boy", likely referring to a person who worked as a scribe or in a monastery handling books and manuscripts.

Early recordings of the name include entries in the parish records of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London, where a Robert Bucknight was christened in 1594. The surname is also found in the 1642 registers of St. Olave's Church in Southwark, with the spelling BOUKNIGHT appearing for a William Bouknight.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Bouknight, who served as a court scribe in the reign of King James I in the early 1600s. His name appears in several legal documents from that period, indicating the family's long-standing association with the written word and record-keeping.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the BOUKNIGHT surname spread across various parts of England, with families settling in counties such as Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Lancashire. Notable individuals from this time include Edward Bouknight (1672-1734), a renowned calligrapher and illuminator of manuscripts in Oxford.

As the name evolved, variations such as BOKENIGHT, BUCKNIGHT, and BOUKNETT emerged, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings in earlier times. One prominent figure was Sir William Bouknett (1712-1789), a member of Parliament and landowner in Wiltshire, whose family had held estates in the region for generations.

In the 19th century, the BOUKNIGHT surname gained recognition through the literary works of Charles Bouknight (1824-1891), a celebrated poet and essayist from Gloucestershire. His volume of poetry, "Muse of the Cotswolds," published in 1860, captured the rural landscapes and traditions of his native county.

Another individual of note was Elizabeth Bouknight (1837-1912), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights. She founded one of the first girls' schools in London and played a significant role in the early suffragette movement, campaigning tirelessly for equal educational opportunities for women.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bouknight

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bouknight.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bouknight was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bouknight has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bouknight was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bouknight, please contact us.

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