2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bouttavong
A surname of Lao origin meaning "offspring of the wealthy or prosperous lineage".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Bouttavong. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bouttavong 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Bouttavong in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bouttavong, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bouttavong
The surname Bouttavong originates from Laos, a country in Southeast Asia. It is believed to have derived from the Lao language, which is a part of the Tai-Kadai language family. The name Bouttavong likely emerged during the 14th or 15th century, when the Lao people were establishing their cultural identity and naming conventions.
One possible theory suggests that Bouttavong is a combination of two Lao words, "bout" meaning "village" or "community," and "tavong" which could be a reference to a specific location or a descriptive term related to the area's geography or resources. This would indicate that the name may have originally been used to identify individuals or families from a particular village or region within Laos.
Historical records mentioning the surname Bouttavong are scarce, as written documentation from that era in Laos is limited. However, some ancient manuscripts and inscriptions from neighboring regions, such as Thailand and Cambodia, may contain references to individuals with similar-sounding names, indicating the existence of the name in the broader Southeast Asian cultural sphere.
The earliest known individual with the surname Bouttavong was Khamphan Bouttavong, a prominent Lao scholar and diplomat who lived in the late 18th century. He played a crucial role in negotiating treaties and maintaining diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Lan Xang (now modern-day Laos) and neighboring kingdoms.
Another notable figure was Thao Bouttavong, a Lao military leader who fought against French colonial forces in the late 19th century. He led a resistance movement in the southern regions of Laos, challenging French attempts to expand their control over the area.
In the 20th century, Khamphay Bouttavong was a respected Lao politician and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Laos from 1975 to 1976, during the early years of the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
Vang Bouttavong, born in 1932, was a renowned Lao artist and sculptor known for his intricate wood carvings and sculptures that depicted traditional Lao culture and mythology.
Lastly, Maly Bouttavong, born in 1945, is a prominent Lao-American author and academic who has written extensively on Lao history, culture, and literature, helping to preserve and promote the Lao heritage in the United States and internationally.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bouttavong
Among Census respondents with the surname Bouttavong, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bouttavong 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 Bouttavong surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.1% · 95
- Two or more races5.9% · 6
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bouttavong
Bouttavong 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
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-8 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,360 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 5,360 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 Bouttavong 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 | #149,395 | #154,755 | -3.6% |
| Count | 110 | 102 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bouttavong bearers went from 110 to 102 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 5,360 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #154,755.
FAQ
Bouttavong surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bouttavong?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Bouttavong. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Bouttavong?
Bouttavong ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Bouttavong. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Bouttavong.
Has Bouttavong become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bouttavong went from 110 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Bouttavong?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bouttavong, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Bouttavong in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bouttavong appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.1%), Two or More Races (5.9%), Black (1.0%). 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 Bouttavong (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 Bouttavong mean?
A surname of Lao origin meaning "offspring of the wealthy or prosperous lineage". 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 Bouttavong (0.03 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 Bouttavong?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Bouttavong? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.