2000
#4,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,412
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.75
Rare Last name
Bucher
An occupational surname for a person who worked as a bookbinder, printer, or scribe.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,058 Americans carry the last name Bucher. That puts it at #4,870 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,536 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bucher 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 Bucher with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.1K
1 in 42,536
Census rank
#4,870
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,027 bearers of the surname Bucher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4870th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bucher, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bucher
The surname Bucher is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "buoch," meaning "beech tree." It first emerged in the 13th century in the region of southern Germany, particularly in the areas around the Black Forest and the Swabian Alps, where beech trees were abundant.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bucher can be found in the town records of Freiburg im Breisgau, a city in the southwest of Germany, dating back to the year 1280, where a person named Heinrich Bucher was mentioned as a landowner.
The name Bucher was often associated with occupations related to beech wood, such as woodcutters, carpenters, or coopers, who made barrels and casks from beech wood. Over time, the name spread to other parts of Germany and neighboring regions.
In the 14th century, the Bucher name appeared in several historical documents, including the Codex Manesse, a renowned medieval manuscript containing poems and illustrations from the Middle High German period. One of the notable figures mentioned in the Codex was a minnesinger (lyric poet) named Reinmar von Bucher, who lived around 1200-1248.
Another prominent individual bearing the Bucher surname was Johann Bucher, a German theologian and reformer who lived from 1468 to 1524. He played a significant role in the early stages of the Protestant Reformation and was associated with Martin Luther and other prominent reformers of the time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, several Bucher families emigrated from Germany to other parts of Europe, including Switzerland, Austria, and France. One notable figure from this period was Johann Rudolf Bucher, a Swiss theologian and philosopher who lived from 1609 to 1679 and wrote extensively on moral philosophy and natural law.
In the 18th century, the Bucher name also found its way to North America, as German immigrants began settling in various regions of the United States and Canada. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was Johann Bucher, a German immigrant who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 and became a prominent farmer and landowner in the area.
Another notable figure with the Bucher surname was Walter Bucher, a Swiss-American architect who lived from 1889 to 1965 and is renowned for his contributions to the development of modern architecture in the United States, particularly in California.
Throughout history, the Bucher name has been associated with various professions, including woodworkers, theologians, philosophers, architects, and more, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who carried this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bucher
Among Census respondents with the surname Bucher, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bucher 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 Bucher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 6,439
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 270
- Two or more races2.9% · 204
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 65
- Black or African American0.5% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bucher
Bucher 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
#4,772
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,417
+5 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 2.51
Rank movement Down 346 places
2020
#4,870
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,027
-390 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 2.35
Rank movement Down 98 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,426 | 7,412 | 2.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,772 | 7,417 | 2.51 | +5 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 346 places |
| 2020 | #4,870 | 7,027 | 2.35 | -390 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 98 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 Bucher 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 | #4,772 | #4,870 | -2.1% |
| Count | 7,417 | 7,027 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.51 | 2.35 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bucher bearers went from 7,417 to 7,027 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 98 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,772 to #4,870.
FAQ
Bucher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bucher?
Name Census estimates that about 8,058 living Americans carry the surname Bucher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,536 residents.
How common is Bucher?
Bucher ranks #4,870 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,027 people with the surname Bucher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,058), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bucher.
Has Bucher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bucher went from 7,417 recorded bearers to 7,027. That is a decrease of 390 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,772 to #4,870.
What does the Census say about the background of Bucher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bucher, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Bucher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (6,439 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bucher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Bucher (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 Bucher mean?
An occupational surname for a person who worked as a bookbinder, printer, or scribe. 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 Bucher (2.35 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 Bucher?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Bucher, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.