2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Buckminster
An occupational surname derived from "buckminster", referring to a maker of bookbinding tools.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Buckminster. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buckminster 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Buckminster in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buckminster, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buckminster
The surname BUCKMINSTER is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "buck," meaning a male deer, and "minster," which referred to a large church or monastery. This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who lived near a church or monastery where deer were found.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Buckeminstr." This entry refers to a place name, indicating that the surname may have originated from a location rather than a personal name.
In the 13th century, the name is recorded as "Buckminster" in the Pipe Rolls of Leicestershire and Rutland. This spelling is closer to the modern form and suggests that the name was well-established by this time.
One notable individual with the surname BUCKMINSTER was Richard Buckminster, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was a prominent Puritan divine and author, known for his works on theology and religious doctrine.
Another prominent figure was Joseph Buckminster, born in 1751, who was a Congregational minister and theologian in Massachusetts. He served as the minister of the Brattle Street Church in Boston and was a highly respected figure in the religious community of his time.
In the 19th century, the name gained further recognition through John Buckminster, born in 1836, who was an English architect and designer. He is known for his work on churches and other ecclesiastical buildings, including the restoration of Canterbury Cathedral.
The name BUCKMINSTER also has connections to the world of literature through the American writer and philosopher Buckminster Fuller, born in 1895. He is best known for his pioneering work in architecture and design, particularly his development of the geodesic dome.
Another notable figure is Richard Buckminster Fuller, born in 1930, who was an American architect, author, and inventor. He was the grandson of Buckminster Fuller and carried on his grandfather's legacy in the field of design and architecture.
While the surname BUCKMINSTER has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, through emigration and migration. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it was likely derived from a place name associated with a church or monastery and the presence of deer in the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buckminster
Among Census respondents with the surname Buckminster, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Buckminster 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 Buckminster surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 109
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buckminster
Buckminster 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+9 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 840 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-11 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,064 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+7.6%) | Down 840 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 12,064 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 Buckminster 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 | #132,206 | #144,270 | -9.1% |
| Count | 128 | 117 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buckminster bearers went from 128 to 117 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 12,064 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #144,270.
FAQ
Buckminster surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buckminster?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Buckminster. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Buckminster?
Buckminster ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Buckminster. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Buckminster.
Has Buckminster become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buckminster went from 128 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Buckminster?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buckminster, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Buckminster in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buckminster appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Black (0.9%). 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 Buckminster (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 Buckminster mean?
An occupational surname derived from "buckminster", referring to a maker of bookbinding tools. 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 Buckminster (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 have the last name Buckminster?
If you just want to know how common the surname Buckminster is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.