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

Buch, 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 Buch surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Buch in America

Buch is the 12752nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Buch surname appeared 2,420 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 Buch.

We can also compare 2010 data for Buch 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 Buch

The surname BUCH is believed to have originated in the region of Swabia, located in the southwestern part of present-day Germany. It is derived from the Old High German word "buoh," which means "beech tree" or "beech forest." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify people who lived near or worked with beech trees.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname BUCH can be traced back to the 12th century in various historical documents from the Swabian region. One notable example is the mention of a "Rudolfus de Buoch" in a charter from the Benedictine monastery of St. Gallen, dated around 1180.

In the 13th century, the name BUCH appeared in the Codex Hirsaugiensis, a manuscript containing legal documents and records from the Hirsau Abbey in the Black Forest region of Baden-Württemberg. This indicates that the name was well-established among the local population during that time period.

One of the earliest known bearers of the BUCH surname was Konrad Buch, a German sculptor and master builder who lived in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. His most famous work is the ornate choir stalls he created for the Strasbourg Cathedral between 1292 and 1298.

During the 15th century, the BUCH name was also found in various records from the city of Nuremberg, which was a prominent center of trade and craftsmanship in the Holy Roman Empire. One notable individual from this era was Hans Buch, a renowned goldsmith who was active in Nuremberg between 1460 and 1490.

In the 16th century, the BUCH surname gained prominence in the field of Protestant theology with the birth of Samuel Buch (1531-1599), a German Lutheran theologian and reformer who served as the personal chaplain to Prince-Elector Johann Georg of Brandenburg.

Another prominent figure with the BUCH surname was Christian Leopold von Buch (1774-1853), a highly influential German geologist and paleontologist who made significant contributions to the understanding of volcanic rocks and the formation of the Earth's crust.

The surname BUCH has also been associated with various places and locations throughout its history. For example, the town of Buchenbach in Baden-Württemberg is believed to have derived its name from the Old High German word "buocha," meaning "beech forest."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Buch

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

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 Buch 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 Buch 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 Buch was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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