2000
#10,745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,726
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Budde
A German occupational surname referring to a barrel maker or cooper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,211 Americans carry the last name Budde. That puts it at #10,870 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,744 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Budde 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
3.2K
1 in 106,744
Census rank
#10,870
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,800 bearers of the surname Budde in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10870th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Budde, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Budde
The surname Budde is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "bude," which referred to a small dwelling or hut. This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who lived in a modest house or cottage.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Budde surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. In this text, there are references to individuals with the surname Budde, indicating that the name was already in use during this period.
The name Budde also appears in various historical records and manuscripts from different regions of Germany, such as the Lübecker Bürgerbuch (Citizens' Book of Lübeck) from the 14th century and the Hamburgisches Bürgerbuch (Citizens' Book of Hamburg) from the 15th century.
One notable individual bearing the Budde surname was Johann Franz Budde (1667-1729), a German Lutheran theologian and philosopher. He was born in Anklam, Western Pomerania, and is known for his work on the philosophy of religion and natural theology.
Another historically significant figure with the Budde surname was Gottlieb Friedrich Budde (1756-1825), a German theologian and pastor from Saxony. He played a role in the development of Prussian church administration and was an advocate for religious tolerance.
In the realm of literature, Elsa Budde (1895-1981) was a German author and poet. She is best known for her novels and short stories that explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition.
The Budde surname has also been associated with various place names and their older spellings. For instance, the town of Budde in Lower Saxony, Germany, is believed to have derived its name from the surname itself or vice versa.
While the origin and meaning of the Budde surname can be traced back to ancient German roots, it is important to note that the name has spread and evolved over time, with various branches and families bearing this surname in different parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Budde
Among Census respondents with the surname Budde, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Budde 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 Budde surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 2,504
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 169
- Two or more races2.8% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Budde
Budde 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
#10,942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,910
+184 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 197 places
2020
#10,870
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,800
-110 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Up 72 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,745 | 2,726 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,942 | 2,910 | 0.99 | +184 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 197 places |
| 2020 | #10,870 | 2,800 | 0.94 | -110 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 72 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 Budde 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 | #10,942 | #10,870 | 0.7% |
| Count | 2,910 | 2,800 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.94 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Budde bearers went from 2,910 to 2,800 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 72 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,942 to #10,870.
FAQ
Budde surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Budde?
Name Census estimates that about 3,211 living Americans carry the surname Budde. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,744 residents.
How common is Budde?
Budde ranks #10,870 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 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 2,800 people with the surname Budde. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,211), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 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 Budde.
Has Budde become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Budde went from 2,910 recorded bearers to 2,800. That is a decrease of 110 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,942 to #10,870.
What does the Census say about the background of Budde?
Among Census respondents with the surname Budde, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Budde in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (2,504 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Budde appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Hispanic (6.0%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Budde (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 Budde mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a barrel maker or cooper. 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 Budde (0.94 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 surname Budde?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.