2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Buchser
An occupational surname derived from the German word "Büchsenmacher" meaning gunsmith or gunmaker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Buchser. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buchser 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Buchser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buchser, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buchser
The surname BUCHSER is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in Switzerland and southern Germany. Its roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century.
One theory suggests that the name BUCHSER is derived from the Old High German word "buohse," which means "box tree" or "boxwood." This connection implies that the surname may have originated as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a boxwood tree or worked with boxwood, such as a woodcarver or carpenter.
Another possible origin of the name BUCHSER is that it may have been a locational surname, referring to a specific place or region. Some historical records mention villages or towns with similar names, such as Buchsee or Buchsers, which could have contributed to the formation of the surname.
In terms of historical references, the earliest recorded instances of the BUCHSER surname can be found in various medieval documents and records from the 14th and 15th centuries. One notable example is Johannes Buchser, a Swiss clergyman who lived in the late 14th century and was mentioned in church records from the city of Zurich.
During the Renaissance period, the name BUCHSER appeared in several artistic and literary works. Hans Buchser (1490-1538) was a renowned Swiss painter and woodcarver who gained recognition for his intricate carvings and altarpieces in churches across Switzerland.
In the 17th century, Johann Jakob Buchser (1621-1694) was a prominent Swiss theologian and author who wrote several influential works on religious topics. His writings and teachings had a significant impact on the intellectual and spiritual landscape of the time.
Moving forward to the 18th century, Gottfried Buchser (1723-1789) was a Swiss-German mathematician and astronomer who made notable contributions to the fields of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
In the 19th century, Karl Buchser (1816-1892) was a German-born American businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Buchser Brewing Company in St. Louis, Missouri. His brewery became one of the largest and most successful in the region during that era.
Throughout history, the BUCHSER surname has been carried by various individuals across different professions and backgrounds, reflecting the diverse paths taken by those who bear this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buchser
Among Census respondents with the surname Buchser, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Buchser 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 Buchser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 96
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buchser
Buchser 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,013 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-4 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 986 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 13,013 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 986 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 Buchser 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 | #153,769 | #154,755 | -0.6% |
| Count | 106 | 102 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buchser bearers went from 106 to 102 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 986 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #154,755.
FAQ
Buchser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buchser?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Buchser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Buchser?
Buchser ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 102 people with the surname Buchser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Buchser.
Has Buchser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buchser went from 106 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #153,769 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Buchser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buchser, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Buchser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buchser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Buchser (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 Buchser mean?
An occupational surname derived from the German word "Büchsenmacher" meaning gunsmith or gunmaker. 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 Buchser (0.03 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 share the surname Buchser?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.