2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Budler
A German surname potentially derived from the German word "Bude" meaning small house or hut.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Budler. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Budler 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Budler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Budler, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Budler
The surname Budler has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the early 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "budel," which means a small barrel or cask, suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked as a cooper or barrel-maker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Budler name can be found in the baptismal records of St. Michael's Church in Berlin, where a certain Hans Budler was listed in 1532. Another early record dates back to 1548 in the town of Erfurt, where a merchant named Gerhard Budler was granted citizenship.
The Budler name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Saxony, Brandenburg, and Silesia, where it was often associated with small villages or hamlets named after the profession, such as Budlerdorf or Budlerau. In some cases, the name may have also been derived from a place name, such as the town of Büdlingen in Hesse.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, several notable individuals bearing the Budler surname emerged. One such figure was Johann Budler (1625-1692), a Lutheran theologian and author from Saxony who wrote extensively on biblical exegesis and church history. Another was Christoph Budler (1672-1744), a renowned architect from Berlin who designed several prominent buildings in the city, including the Parochialkirche and the Stadtschloss.
As the Budler family spread across Germany and beyond, the surname underwent various spelling variations, such as Budeler, Büdler, and Bütler. In the 19th century, a branch of the family settled in the United States, where the name was sometimes anglicized to Butler or Buttler.
Other notable individuals with the Budler surname include:
1. Konrad Budler (1858-1935), a German painter and illustrator known for his landscape and genre scenes.
2. Hedwig Budler (1882-1967), a German operatic soprano who performed at the Berlin State Opera and other prestigious venues.
3. Ernst Budler (1894-1964), a German military officer who served in both World Wars and attained the rank of Generalleutnant.
4. Manfred Budler (1928-2017), a German actor who appeared in numerous films and television productions throughout his career.
5. Ingeborg Budler (born 1940), a German sculptress and artist known for her abstract works in various media.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Budler
Among Census respondents with the surname Budler, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Budler 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 Budler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.7% · 96
- Two or more races12.6% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 4
- Black or African American2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Budler
Budler 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-13 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,648 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+14 bearers (+13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,119 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 22,648 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.3%) | Up 12,119 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 Budler 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 | #154,907 | #142,788 | 7.8% |
| Count | 105 | 119 | 13.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Budler bearers went from 105 to 119 (+13.3% change). The surname moved up 12,119 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #142,788.
FAQ
Budler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Budler?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Budler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Budler?
Budler ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Budler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Budler.
Has Budler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Budler went from 105 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 14 (+13.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Budler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Budler, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). 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 Budler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.7% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Budler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.7%), Two or More Races (12.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). 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 Budler (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 Budler mean?
A German surname potentially derived from the German word "Bude" meaning small house or hut. 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 Budler (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 Americans have the surname Budler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.