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

Buchholz, 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 Buchholz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Buchholz in America

Buchholz is the 4547th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Buchholz surname appeared 7,790 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Buchholz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Buchholz 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 Buchholz

The surname Buchholz is of German origin, derived from the Old High German words "buocha" meaning beech tree, and "holz" meaning woods or forest. It originated as a topographic name for someone who lived near a beech forest or wooded area.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Buchholz date back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, such as Saxony, Brandenburg, and Bavaria. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include Heinrich von Buchholz, a landowner mentioned in records from Stendal in 1293, and Konrad Buchholz, a merchant from Lübeck recorded in 1311.

In the 14th century, variations of the name like Buchholt, Buchholtz, and Buchholzer were also found in historical documents, reflecting regional spelling differences. The name was sometimes associated with specific place names, such as Buchholz in Mecklenburg or Buchholz in Saxony.

During the 16th century, the Buchholz surname gained prominence with several notable individuals. One example is the German theologian and reformer Johannes Buchholzer (c. 1505-1565), who was a close associate of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Reformation.

In the 17th century, the name appeared in various parts of Europe, including the Netherlands, where the Dutch painter Andries Buchholz (1607-1671) was known for his still-life paintings and landscapes.

Another individual of note is the German mathematician and astronomer Johann Buchholz (1643-1722), who made important contributions to the study of comets and published several astronomical works.

Moving into the 19th century, the Buchholz surname was associated with prominent figures such as the German botanist Friedrich Buchholz (1768-1843), who made significant contributions to the study of plants and their classification.

In the 20th century, one of the most well-known bearers of the name was the German writer and playwright Wolfgang Buchholz (1924-2004), whose plays and novels explored themes of social justice and political activism.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Buchholz

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

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

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

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