2000
#11,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,639
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Buchman
A German occupational surname referring to a scribe or bookkeeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,766 Americans carry the last name Buchman. That puts it at #12,307 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,917 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buchman 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 Buchman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 123,917
Census rank
#12,307
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,412 bearers of the surname Buchman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12307th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buchman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buchman
The surname Buchman is of German origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Buche," meaning beech tree, and the suffix "-man," indicating a person associated with or living near beech trees.
The name was most prevalent in the regions of southern Germany, particularly Bavaria and the Rhineland. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century, appearing in various records and manuscripts from that period.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Buchman name was Hans Buchman, a farmer from the village of Buchheim in Bavaria, mentioned in a land grant document from the year 1274. The name was also found in the Weissenau Monastery records of 1312, referring to a certain Konrad Buchman, a woodcutter from the nearby town of Biberach.
In the 15th century, the name Buchman appeared in the Cologne Memorienbuch, a record of citizens and their contributions to the city. Johann Buchman, a respected merchant from Cologne, was listed in the year 1472.
During the 16th century, the Buchman surname gained prominence with the birth of Johann Buchman (1484-1542), a German theologian and reformer who advocated for the separation of church and state. He is considered one of the leading figures of the Protestant Reformation.
Another notable bearer of the Buchman name was Georg Buchman (1608-1688), a German philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the development of calculus and the study of infinite series.
In the 18th century, the Buchman family produced Johann Buchman (1724-1803), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister at the court of Saxe-Weimar. His compositions, particularly his organ works, were highly regarded during his time.
The 19th century saw the birth of Carl Buchman (1825-1892), a German-American architect who designed several prominent buildings in Chicago, including the iconic Water Tower and the Chicago Board of Trade Building.
Throughout its history, the Buchman surname has been associated with various occupations, including farmers, woodcutters, merchants, theologians, philosophers, musicians, and architects, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of its bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buchman
Among Census respondents with the surname Buchman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Buchman 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 Buchman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 2,227
- Two or more races2.9% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 19
- Black or African American0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buchman
Buchman 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
#11,936
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,621
-18 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 887 places
2020
#12,307
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,412
-209 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 371 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,049 | 2,639 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,936 | 2,621 | 0.89 | -18 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 887 places |
| 2020 | #12,307 | 2,412 | 0.81 | -209 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 371 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 Buchman 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 | #11,936 | #12,307 | -3.1% |
| Count | 2,621 | 2,412 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.81 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buchman bearers went from 2,621 to 2,412 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 371 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,936 to #12,307.
FAQ
Buchman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buchman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,766 living Americans carry the surname Buchman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,917 residents.
How common is Buchman?
Buchman ranks #12,307 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 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 2,412 people with the surname Buchman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,766), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 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 Buchman.
Has Buchman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buchman went from 2,621 recorded bearers to 2,412. That is a decrease of 209 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,936 to #12,307.
What does the Census say about the background of Buchman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buchman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (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 Buchman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (2,227 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buchman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (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 Buchman (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 Buchman mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a scribe or bookkeeper. 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 Buchman (0.81 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 Americans have the surname Buchman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.