2000
#737
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 42,441
First available Census row
Per 100,000 15.73
Uncommon Last name
Buck
An English occupational surname referring to a male deer or a man with buck-like qualities, such as speed or virility.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 47,134 Americans carry the last name Buck. That puts it at #822 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,272 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buck 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 Buck with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
47K
1 in 7,272
Census rank
#822
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
41K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 41,103 bearers of the surname Buck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 822nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buck, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buck
The surname BUCK originates from England and has its roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "bucc," which means "male deer" or "buck." The name would have initially referred to someone who was associated with hunting or keeping deer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname BUCK can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England ordered by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings such as "Buc," "Bucke," and "le Buk."
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname BUCK became more prevalent in various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Essex. It was often associated with place names that referenced deer or hunting grounds, such as Buckden, Buckingham, and Buckhurst.
One notable individual with the surname BUCK was Sir George Buck (1560-1622), an English antiquarian and historian who served as a master of the revels to King James I. His works included "The History of the Life and Reign of Richard III" and "The Third Universitie of England."
Another prominent figure was Sir John Buck (1558-1636), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1628. He played a significant role in the Virginia Company, which established the first permanent English settlement in North America at Jamestown.
During the 17th century, the BUCK surname spread to the American colonies, with early settlers carrying the name to New England and the Chesapeake region. One such individual was Emanuel Buck (1623-1693), who was among the first settlers of Hampton, Virginia, arriving in the 1630s.
In the 18th century, Jeremiah Buck (1717-1786) was a prominent American clergyman and educator, serving as the president of Harvard College from 1771 to 1775. He was known for his strong opposition to the growing tensions between the colonies and Britain, which ultimately led to the American Revolution.
Another noteworthy individual was Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973), an American novelist and humanitarian who was the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1938. She was renowned for her novels set in China, including "The Good Earth" and "Dragon Seed," which brought attention to the lives of Chinese peasants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buck
Among Census respondents with the surname Buck, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Buck 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 Buck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.9% · 34,879
- Black or African American5.7% · 2,353
- Two or more races4.1% · 1,665
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 1,247
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 570
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 389
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buck
Buck 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
#812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 42,639
+198 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 14.45
Rank movement Down 75 places
2020
#822
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,103
-1,536 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 13.75
Rank movement Down 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #737 | 42,441 | 15.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #812 | 42,639 | 14.45 | +198 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 75 places |
| 2020 | #822 | 41,103 | 13.75 | -1,536 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 10 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 Buck 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 | #812 | #822 | -1.2% |
| Count | 42,639 | 41,103 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 14.45 | 13.75 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buck bearers went from 42,639 to 41,103 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #812 to #822.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Buck
FAQ
Buck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buck?
Name Census estimates that about 47,134 living Americans carry the surname Buck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,272 residents.
How common is Buck?
Buck ranks #822 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 14 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 41,103 people with the surname Buck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (47,134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 14 of them to have the surname Buck.
Has Buck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buck went from 42,639 recorded bearers to 41,103. That is a decrease of 1,536 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #812 to #822.
What does the Census say about the background of Buck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buck, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Buck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.9% (34,879 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.9%), Black (5.7%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Buck (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 Buck mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a male deer or a man with buck-like qualities, such as speed or virility. 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 Buck (13.75 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 have the last name Buck?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Buck on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.