2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bud
A surname derived from the Old German name Bodo, meaning "rich".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 243 Americans carry the last name Bud. That puts it at #92,936 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,410,512 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bud 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
243
1 in 1,410,512
Census rank
#92,936
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
212
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 212 bearers of the surname Bud in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 92936th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bud, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.9%) and Black (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bud
The surname Bud is believed to have originated in England, where it first appeared in records as early as the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "budda," meaning "messenger" or "herald." This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for someone who worked as a messenger or crier.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, one of the earliest surviving census-like records in England, the name Bud is mentioned as "Robert le Bud" in the county of Oxfordshire. This early spelling variation highlights the common practice of adding the prefix "le" or "the" before surnames in medieval times.
The surname Bud is also found in various other historical records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1199, where it appears as "Roger Bud." Additionally, the name is recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, indicating its presence in different regions of England during the Middle Ages.
One notable bearer of the surname Bud was Sir John Bud, who lived in the 15th century and served as the Sheriff of Worcestershire in 1483. Another early recorded instance is that of Thomas Bud, born around 1540 in Throckmorton, Worcestershire, who was a prominent landowner and yeoman farmer in his time.
The Bud surname has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout England. For example, the village of Budbrooke in Warwickshire may have derived its name from the Old English words "buda" (messenger) and "broc" (brook), suggesting a connection to the Bud surname.
Other notable individuals bearing the Bud surname include William Bud (1550-1623), an English clergyman and author known for his work "A Treatise on the Plague"; Sir Edward Bud (1612-1690), an English judge and Member of Parliament; and Sir John Bud (1764-1841), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars.
It is worth noting that while the surname Bud is primarily associated with England, it has also been found in other parts of the British Isles and beyond, likely due to migration and the spread of English names over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bud
Among Census respondents with the surname Bud, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.9%) and Black (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bud 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 Bud surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.2% · 151
- Asian and Pacific Islander17.9% · 38
- Black or African American4.7% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 9
- Two or more races1.4% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bud
Bud 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
#108,199
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 164
+41 bearers (+33.3%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 19,749 places
2020
#92,936
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 212
+48 bearers (+29.3%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 15,263 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #108,199 | 164 | 0.06 | +41 bearers (+33.3%) | Up 19,749 places |
| 2020 | #92,936 | 212 | 0.07 | +48 bearers (+29.3%) | Up 15,263 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 Bud 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 | #108,199 | #92,936 | 14.1% |
| Count | 164 | 212 | 29.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.07 | 18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bud bearers went from 164 to 212 (+29.3% change). The surname moved up 15,263 positions in the national ranking, going from #108,199 to #92,936.
FAQ
Bud surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bud?
Name Census estimates that about 243 living Americans carry the surname Bud. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,410,512 residents.
How common is Bud?
Bud ranks #92,936 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 212 people with the surname Bud. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (243), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Bud.
Has Bud become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bud went from 164 recorded bearers to 212. That is an increase of 48 (+29.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #108,199 to #92,936.
What does the Census say about the background of Bud?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bud, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.9%) and Black (4.7%). 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 Bud in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.2% (151 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bud appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (17.9%), Black (4.7%). 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 Bud (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 Bud mean?
A surname derived from the Old German name Bodo, meaning "rich". 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 Bud (0.07 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 are called Bud?
Find out how many people have the surname Bud on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.