2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Budahn
An occupational surname derived from the German word for a stall or booth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Budahn. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Budahn 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Budahn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Budahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Budahn
The surname Budahn is of German origin, first appearing in records from the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Bude," meaning a small hut or cabin, and may have initially referred to someone who lived in such a dwelling.
Early instances of the name can be found in various German regional records, such as the Kirchenbücher (church books) of various towns and villages. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Hans Budahn, born in 1557 in the village of Rothenburg, near the city of Bamberg in Bavaria.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Budahn name spread across various regions of Germany, with families settling in areas like Saxony, Thuringia, and the Rhineland. In the 1700s, Johannes Budahn, a prominent merchant from Hamburg, was noted for his successful trading ventures with the Dutch East Indies.
As the 19th century dawned, the Budahn surname began to appear in immigration records as families sought new opportunities in other parts of the world. In 1842, a family by the name of Budahn from the town of Wittenberg in Saxony-Anhalt emigrated to the United States, settling in the state of Wisconsin.
Another notable individual bearing this surname was Friedrich Budahn, a German philosopher and writer born in 1820 in the city of Frankfurt. His works explored themes of ethics, morality, and the human condition, and he was regarded as an influential thinker of his time.
In the early 20th century, the Budahn name also found its way to South America, with a family from Bavaria establishing roots in Argentina. One member of this family, Emilio Budahn, born in 1902, became a respected architect and played a significant role in the urban development of Buenos Aires.
While the Budahn surname may not be among the most common in the world, its history spans several centuries and continents, reflecting the diverse experiences and journeys of those who have carried this name throughout the ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Budahn
Among Census respondents with the surname Budahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Budahn 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 Budahn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.3% · 110
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Budahn
Budahn 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-4 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,558 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 13,558 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 2,174 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 Budahn 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 | #149,395 | #147,221 | 1.5% |
| Count | 110 | 113 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Budahn bearers went from 110 to 113 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 2,174 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #147,221.
FAQ
Budahn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Budahn?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Budahn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Budahn?
Budahn ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Budahn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Budahn.
Has Budahn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Budahn went from 110 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Budahn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Budahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%) and Two or More Races (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 Budahn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Budahn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%), Two or More Races (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 Budahn (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 Budahn mean?
An occupational surname derived from the German word for a stall or booth. 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 Budahn (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 Budahn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.