2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bousselot
A French surname derived from the Old French word "boucel", meaning a buckle or clasp.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Bousselot. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bousselot 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Bousselot in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bousselot, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bousselot
The surname BOUSSELOT has its origins in France, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "boussel," which referred to a bundle or package, suggesting a possible occupational connection for the earliest bearers of this name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BOUSSELOT name can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 12th century. This document mentions a certain "Radulphus Bousselot" as a witness to a land transaction in the region of Chartres.
In the 13th century, there are records of a family named BOUSSELOT in the village of Boissy-le-Châtel, in the Île-de-France region. This surname may have evolved from a place name, possibly referring to a person who resided near or worked with bundles or packages.
During the 15th century, the BOUSSELOT name appears in various historical records from the Burgundy region. One notable figure was Jean BOUSSELOT, a merchant who lived in Dijon between 1420 and 1492. His trade dealings likely contributed to the spread of the name across the region.
In the 16th century, the BOUSSELOT family had a presence in the Champagne region. Records from the city of Troyes mention a certain Nicolas BOUSSELOT, a respected vintner who lived from 1525 to 1589.
Another notable individual bearing this surname was Pierre BOUSSELOT, a military engineer who served under Louis XIV in the 17th century. Born in 1646 in Verdun, he was instrumental in the construction of fortifications and defensive structures during the Nine Years' War.
Throughout the centuries, the BOUSSELOT name has been subject to various spellings, such as Bousseleau, Bousselaud, and Bousselaut, reflecting regional variations and linguistic changes over time. Despite these variations, the core surname has maintained its French origins and distinctive character.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bousselot
Among Census respondents with the surname Bousselot, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bousselot 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 Bousselot surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 117
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bousselot
Bousselot 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
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+14 bearers (+13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,119 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.3%) | Up 12,119 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 Bousselot 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 | #154,907 | #142,788 | 7.8% |
| Count | 105 | 119 | 13.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bousselot bearers went from 105 to 119 (+13.3% change). The surname moved up 12,119 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #142,788.
FAQ
Bousselot surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bousselot?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Bousselot. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Bousselot?
Bousselot ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Bousselot. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Bousselot.
Has Bousselot become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bousselot went from 105 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 14 (+13.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Bousselot?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bousselot, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Bousselot in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bousselot appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Bousselot (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 Bousselot mean?
A French surname derived from the Old French word "boucel", meaning a buckle or clasp. 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 Bousselot (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 surname Bousselot?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.