2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Buehlman
A German surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone from a town or area called Bühl or Buehl.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Buehlman. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buehlman 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Buehlman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buehlman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buehlman
The surname Buehlman is of German origin and can be traced back to the late Middle Ages. The name is thought to have originated in the German state of Bavaria, where it was likely a topographic name referring to someone who lived near a hill or small mountain. The root of the name is believed to be derived from the Old High German word "buohil," meaning a small hill or mound.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Buehlman surname dates back to the 15th century, appearing in a document from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria. This document mentions a certain "Hans Buehlman," who was a farmer and landowner in the region at that time.
In the 16th century, the Buehlman name can be found in various church records and town registers across southern Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. During this period, the name was sometimes spelled as "Bühelman" or "Bühlmann," reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation.
One notable figure with the Buehlman surname was Johann Christoph Buehlman (1710-1782), a German theologian and author who served as a Protestant minister in the town of Kirchheim unter Teck in Württemberg. He published several theological works and sermons during his lifetime.
Another individual of historical significance was Karl Friedrich Buehlman (1803-1871), a German-American engineer and architect. He emigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century and was involved in the construction of several notable buildings, including the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.
In the 19th century, the Buehlman surname also appeared in various records and documents related to the German diaspora, as families with this name began to migrate to other parts of Europe and the Americas. For example, there are records of Buehlman families settling in regions of present-day Poland and Ukraine during this period.
Other notable individuals with the Buehlman surname include:
1. Heinrich Buehlman (1865-1942), a German-American author and educator who wrote several books on German language and literature.
2. Anna Buehlman (1879-1960), a Swiss painter and artist known for her landscape paintings and portraiture.
3. Franz Buehlman (1905-1987), an Austrian-born American architect who designed several notable buildings in the New York City area.
4. Wilhelm Buehlman (1918-2002), a German soldier and World War II veteran who later became a historian and author, writing about his experiences during the war.
5. Gudrun Buehlman (born 1943), a German-born American author and academic who has written extensively on topics related to German literature and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buehlman
Among Census respondents with the surname Buehlman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Buehlman 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 Buehlman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 7
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buehlman
Buehlman 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+12 bearers (+11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,707 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 909 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.3%) | Up 2,707 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 909 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 Buehlman 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 | #141,140 | #142,049 | -0.6% |
| Count | 118 | 120 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buehlman bearers went from 118 to 120 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 909 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #142,049.
FAQ
Buehlman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buehlman?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Buehlman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Buehlman?
Buehlman ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Buehlman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Buehlman.
Has Buehlman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buehlman went from 118 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Buehlman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buehlman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Buehlman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buehlman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (5.8%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Buehlman (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 Buehlman mean?
A German surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone from a town or area called Bühl or Buehl. 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 Buehlman (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 Buehlman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.