2000
#56,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 338
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Buffett
A French surname deriving from an Old French word meaning "sideboard."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 405 Americans carry the last name Buffett. That puts it at #61,433 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 846,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buffett 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
405
1 in 846,307
Census rank
#61,433
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
353
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 353 bearers of the surname Buffett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 61433rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buffett, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Two or More Races (9.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buffett
The surname Buffett is believed to have originated in France, specifically in the region of Normandy. It is derived from the Old French word "bufet," which referred to a small table or sideboard. The name likely emerged during the Middle Ages, sometime between the 11th and 13th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Buffett surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. This document mentions a landowner named Rainald Buffett, who held property in the county of Hertfordshire.
Throughout the following centuries, the Buffett name continued to appear in various historical records across different regions of France. Notable individuals with this surname include Jean Buffett, a prominent merchant in the city of Rouen during the 16th century, and Marie Buffett, a renowned painter who lived in Paris in the late 17th century.
As the Buffett family spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Buffet, Buffette, and Buffey. Some of these variants were likely influenced by the places where the family members settled, leading to the incorporation of local dialects or place names into the surname.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the Buffett surname in England dates back to the 16th century, when records mention a Thomas Buffett, who was born in Wiltshire in 1542. Another notable figure was Sir William Buffett, a prominent lawyer and member of Parliament, who lived in the 17th century (born in 1621, died in 1695).
During the 18th century, the Buffett family continued to establish roots in various parts of England and Scotland. One notable individual from this era was James Buffett, a renowned architect born in Edinburgh in 1754. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings, including the Royal Scottish Academy.
In the 19th century, the Buffett name gained further recognition with the birth of Benjamin Buffett (1809-1891), a successful businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the United States.
As the Buffett family spread across different continents, the name continued to be associated with various notable individuals, including the American investor and philanthropist Warren Buffett, who is widely regarded as one of the most successful investors of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buffett
Among Census respondents with the surname Buffett, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Two or More Races (9.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Buffett 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 Buffett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.8% · 243
- Black or African American15.9% · 56
- Two or more races9.6% · 34
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buffett
Buffett 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
#59,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 339
+1 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 3,077 places
2020
#61,433
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 353
+14 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 1,830 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #56,526 | 338 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #59,603 | 339 | 0.11 | +1 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 3,077 places |
| 2020 | #61,433 | 353 | 0.12 | +14 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 1,830 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 Buffett 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 | #59,603 | #61,433 | -3.1% |
| Count | 339 | 353 | 4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.12 | 7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buffett bearers went from 339 to 353 (+4.1% change). The surname moved down 1,830 positions in the national ranking, going from #59,603 to #61,433.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Buffett
FAQ
Buffett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buffett?
Name Census estimates that about 405 living Americans carry the surname Buffett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 846,307 residents.
How common is Buffett?
Buffett ranks #61,433 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 353 people with the surname Buffett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (405), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Buffett.
Has Buffett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buffett went from 339 recorded bearers to 353. That is an increase of 14 (+4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #59,603 to #61,433.
What does the Census say about the background of Buffett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buffett, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Two or More Races (9.6%). 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 Buffett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.8% (243 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buffett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.8%), Black (15.9%), Two or More Races (9.6%). 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 Buffett (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 Buffett mean?
A French surname deriving from an Old French word meaning "sideboard." 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 Buffett (0.12 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 Buffett?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.