2000
#10,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,894
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Buchan
A Scottish locational surname derived from a place of the same name, meaning "cow pasture" in Gaelic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,967 Americans carry the last name Buchan. That puts it at #11,611 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,522 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buchan 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Buchan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 115,522
Census rank
#11,611
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,587 bearers of the surname Buchan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11611th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buchan, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buchan
The surname Buchan originates from Scotland, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Scottish place name Buchan, which refers to a district in Aberdeenshire, located in the northeastern part of the country. The name is thought to be derived from the Gaelic word "bùthan," meaning "little hut" or "small dwelling."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Buchan can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The Rolls mention several individuals with the surname Buchan, including John de Buchan and William de Buchan.
In the 14th century, the Buchan family played a significant role in Scottish history. Sir Alexander de Buchan was a prominent figure during the Wars of Scottish Independence and fought alongside William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. Sir Alexander's son, John de Buchan, was appointed as the Justiciar of Scotland by King David II in 1368.
The Buchans were also associated with the Earldom of Buchan, a historic Scottish peerage title. One notable holder of the title was John Stewart, Earl of Buchan (1489-1551), who was a prominent Scottish nobleman and Lord High Treasurer of Scotland during the reign of King James V.
Another famous individual with the surname Buchan was Elspeth Buchan (c. 1738-1791), a Scottish author and poet who is considered one of the earliest female writers in Scottish literature. Her works, including "Elegies on the Death of Family and Friends," offer insights into the lives of women in 18th-century Scotland.
In the 19th century, John Buchan (1875-1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, and politician who served as the Governor General of Canada from 1935 to 1940. He is best known for his popular adventure novel "The Thirty-Nine Steps," which was later adapted into several films.
Other notable individuals with the surname Buchan include David Buchan (1777-1838), a Scottish historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of Scotland, and Norman de Buchan (c. 1285-1361), a Scottish cleric and Bishop of Sodor and Man in the 14th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buchan
Among Census respondents with the surname Buchan, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Buchan 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 Buchan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 2,295
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 105
- Two or more races3.3% · 86
- Black or African American2.0% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buchan
Buchan 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
#10,851
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,935
+41 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 630 places
2020
#11,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,587
-348 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 760 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,221 | 2,894 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,851 | 2,935 | 0.99 | +41 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 630 places |
| 2020 | #11,611 | 2,587 | 0.87 | -348 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 760 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 Buchan 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 | #10,851 | #11,611 | -7.0% |
| Count | 2,935 | 2,587 | -11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.87 | -12.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buchan bearers went from 2,935 to 2,587 (-11.9% change). The surname moved down 760 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,851 to #11,611.
FAQ
Buchan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buchan?
Name Census estimates that about 2,967 living Americans carry the surname Buchan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,522 residents.
How common is Buchan?
Buchan ranks #11,611 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,587 people with the surname Buchan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,967), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Buchan.
Has Buchan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buchan went from 2,935 recorded bearers to 2,587. That is a decrease of 348 (-11.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,851 to #11,611.
What does the Census say about the background of Buchan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buchan, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Buchan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (2,295 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buchan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Buchan (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 Buchan mean?
A Scottish locational surname derived from a place of the same name, meaning "cow pasture" in Gaelic. 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 Buchan (0.87 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 are called Buchan?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Buchan is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.