2000
#4,240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,735
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.87
Rare Last name
Buchholz
A German toponymic surname indicating an origin near a beech forest or beech grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,677 Americans carry the last name Buchholz. That puts it at #4,550 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,501 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buchholz 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
8.7K
1 in 39,501
Census rank
#4,550
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,567 bearers of the surname Buchholz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4550th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buchholz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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In the 14th century, variations of the name like Buchholt, Buchholtz, and Buchholzer were also found in historical documents, reflecting regional spelling differences.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buchholz
Among Census respondents with the surname Buchholz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Buchholz 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 Buchholz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 7,019
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 223
- Two or more races2.9% · 218
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 53
- Black or African American0.5% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buchholz
Buchholz 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
#4,547
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,790
+55 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 2.64
Rank movement Down 307 places
2020
#4,550
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,567
-223 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 2.53
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,240 | 7,735 | 2.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,547 | 7,790 | 2.64 | +55 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 307 places |
| 2020 | #4,550 | 7,567 | 2.53 | -223 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 3 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 Buchholz 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 | #4,547 | #4,550 | -0.1% |
| Count | 7,790 | 7,567 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.64 | 2.53 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buchholz bearers went from 7,790 to 7,567 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,547 to #4,550.
FAQ
Buchholz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buchholz?
Name Census estimates that about 8,677 living Americans carry the surname Buchholz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,501 residents.
How common is Buchholz?
Buchholz ranks #4,550 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,567 people with the surname Buchholz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,677), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Buchholz.
Has Buchholz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buchholz went from 7,790 recorded bearers to 7,567. That is a decrease of 223 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,547 to #4,550.
What does the Census say about the background of Buchholz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buchholz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) 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 Buchholz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (7,019 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buchholz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (2.9%), 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 Buchholz (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 Buchholz mean?
A German toponymic surname indicating an origin near a beech forest or beech grove. 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 Buchholz (2.53 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 Buchholz?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Buchholz is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.