2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bubon
A surname possibly derived from the Greek word for groin or swollen lymph node.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Bubon. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bubon 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Bubon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bubon, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bubon
The surname BUBON is believed to have originated in the region of Normandy, France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word 'bubon', which referred to a swollen lymph node or gland, often seen in cases of bubonic plague. The name may have been given as a descriptive nickname to someone who had survived this disease or had a noticeable swelling.
BUBON is not a commonly found name in historical records, but there are a few instances where it appears. One of the earliest known references is in a 14th century manuscript from the Duchy of Normandy, which mentions a landowner named Jehan BUBON. There is also a record of a Philippe BUBON who was a merchant in the city of Rouen during the late 15th century.
The name spread to other parts of France and eventually to other countries as people migrated. In England, the earliest recorded instance of the BUBON surname dates back to the 16th century, when a William BUBON was listed in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk in 1578.
Notable individuals with the BUBON surname include:
1. Jean-Baptiste BUBON (1701-1767), a French composer and music theorist who served as the court musician to King Louis XV.
2. Émile BUBON (1834-1901), a French painter known for his landscapes and portraits of rural life in Normandy.
3. Pierre BUBON (1870-1942), a French engineer who pioneered the use of reinforced concrete in bridge construction.
4. Marie BUBON (1893-1976), a French author and journalist who wrote extensively about the experiences of women during World War I.
5. Georges BUBON (1920-1998), a French resistance fighter during World War II and later a prominent politician in the post-war years.
While the BUBON surname is not as common as some others, it has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval France and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bubon
Among Census respondents with the surname Bubon, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bubon 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 Bubon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino10.7% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bubon
Bubon 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-8 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,582 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,753 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 16,582 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,753 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 Bubon 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 | #146,201 | #147,954 | -1.2% |
| Count | 113 | 112 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bubon bearers went from 113 to 112 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,753 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #147,954.
FAQ
Bubon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bubon?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Bubon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Bubon?
Bubon ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Bubon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Bubon.
Has Bubon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bubon went from 113 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Bubon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bubon, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Bubon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bubon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Hispanic (10.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Bubon (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 Bubon mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Greek word for groin or swollen lymph node. 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 Bubon (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 Bubon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.