2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Buchwitz
A German surname signifying a person from the town of Buchwitz.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Buchwitz. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buchwitz 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Buchwitz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buchwitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buchwitz
The surname Buchwitz is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the word "buch," which means "beech" in German, combined with the suffix "-witz," indicating a place name. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname lived near or were associated with a location featuring beech trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Buchwitz can be found in the Chancery Book of Saxony, a historical document dating back to 1350. This record mentions a certain "Johannes Buchwitz" as a resident of the town of Zwickau, located in modern-day Saxony, Germany.
During the 16th century, the name Buchwitz appeared in various historical documents, including the Braunschweig City Archives. These archives contain records of a merchant named Hans Buchwitz, who was active in the city of Braunschweig (Brunswick) between 1520 and 1540.
In the 17th century, the name Buchwitz gained prominence with the birth of Johann Buchwitz (1633-1701), a German theologian and philosopher. He was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of his time and authored several works on religion and philosophy.
Another notable figure bearing the surname Buchwitz was Karl Friedrich Buchwitz (1788-1856), a German painter and engraver. He was renowned for his landscapes and portraits, and his works can be found in various museums and galleries across Germany.
The 19th century saw the emergence of Wilhelm Buchwitz (1819-1892), a German industrialist and entrepreneur. He founded the Buchwitz & Co. Company, which specialized in the production of textiles and played a significant role in the industrial development of Saxony.
The surname Buchwitz also has connections to place names. For instance, there is a village called Buchwitz located in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. This village's name is likely derived from the same root as the surname, indicating a potential geographic origin for some families bearing this name.
While the name Buchwitz may have evolved over time, with variations in spelling such as Buchvitz or Buchwitz, its core meaning and association with beech trees and place names have remained consistent throughout its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buchwitz
Among Census respondents with the surname Buchwitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Buchwitz 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 Buchwitz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.7% · 116
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buchwitz
Buchwitz 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
-6 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,718 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-7 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,001 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 12,718 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 9,001 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 Buchwitz 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 | #133,048 | #142,049 | -6.8% |
| Count | 127 | 120 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buchwitz bearers went from 127 to 120 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 9,001 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #142,049.
FAQ
Buchwitz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buchwitz?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Buchwitz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Buchwitz?
Buchwitz ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 120 people with the surname Buchwitz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Buchwitz.
Has Buchwitz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buchwitz went from 127 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Buchwitz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buchwitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Buchwitz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.7% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buchwitz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.7%), Hispanic (1.7%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Buchwitz (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 Buchwitz mean?
A German surname signifying a person from the town of Buchwitz. 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 Buchwitz (0.04 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 Buchwitz?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.