2000
#11,496
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,512
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Buckmaster
An occupational surname referring to a male deer hunter or the master of the hunt.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,621 Americans carry the last name Buckmaster. That puts it at #12,867 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,772 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buckmaster 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 Buckmaster with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 130,772
Census rank
#12,867
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,286 bearers of the surname Buckmaster in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12867th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buckmaster, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buckmaster
The surname Buckmaster originated in England and dates back to the 12th century. The name derives from the Old English words 'bucca', meaning a male goat or buck, and 'mæster', meaning master or keeper. Thus, the name Buckmaster originally referred to someone who was the keeper or master of the bucks or male goats in a herd.
The earliest known record of the name Buckmaster appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1182, where a person named Willelmus Buckmaster is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were financial records kept by the English Exchequer, indicating that the name was in use during the reign of King Henry II.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Bokemaistre, Buckemayster, and Buckemaystre, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common in that era. The Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like record of landowners in England, includes several individuals with the surname Buckmaster or similar spellings.
One notable early bearer of the name was John Buckmaster, who was born in Salisbury, England, around 1280. He was a prominent clergyman and served as the Bishop of Lincoln from 1347 until his death in 1361.
Another historical figure with this surname was Sir Walter Buckmaster, who lived in the 15th century. He was a member of the English gentry and served as a knight under King Henry VI during the Wars of the Roses.
In the 16th century, the name Buckmaster was found in various areas of England, including Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Oxfordshire. The town of Buckmaster, located in Bedfordshire, likely derived its name from a prominent family bearing this surname in the region.
During the 17th century, a notable figure was Stanley Buckmaster, born in 1592 in Oxfordshire. He was a celebrated poet and playwright, known for his works such as "The Shepherd's Garland" and "The Tragedy of Agis".
In the 18th century, William Buckmaster, born in 1720 in Gloucestershire, was a renowned architect and builder. He designed and constructed several notable buildings, including the Buckmaster Manor in his hometown.
Another influential person with this surname was Emily Buckmaster, born in 1874 in London. She was a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights, establishing several schools and institutions dedicated to promoting education for women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buckmaster
Among Census respondents with the surname Buckmaster, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Buckmaster 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 Buckmaster surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 2,017
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 94
- Two or more races4.0% · 91
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 22
- Black or African American0.9% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buckmaster
Buckmaster 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
#12,649
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,446
-66 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 1,153 places
2020
#12,867
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,286
-160 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 218 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,496 | 2,512 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,649 | 2,446 | 0.83 | -66 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 1,153 places |
| 2020 | #12,867 | 2,286 | 0.76 | -160 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 218 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 Buckmaster 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 | #12,649 | #12,867 | -1.7% |
| Count | 2,446 | 2,286 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.76 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buckmaster bearers went from 2,446 to 2,286 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 218 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,649 to #12,867.
FAQ
Buckmaster surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buckmaster?
Name Census estimates that about 2,621 living Americans carry the surname Buckmaster. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,772 residents.
How common is Buckmaster?
Buckmaster ranks #12,867 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,286 people with the surname Buckmaster. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,621), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Buckmaster.
Has Buckmaster become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buckmaster went from 2,446 recorded bearers to 2,286. That is a decrease of 160 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,649 to #12,867.
What does the Census say about the background of Buckmaster?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buckmaster, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Buckmaster in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (2,017 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buckmaster appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Buckmaster (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 Buckmaster mean?
An occupational surname referring to a male deer hunter or the master of the hunt. 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 Buckmaster (0.76 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 common is the surname Buckmaster?
Want to know how many people have the last name Buckmaster? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.