Find out how popular the last name Buffey is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Buffey.

Buffey, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Buffey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Buffey in America

Buffey is the 142108th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Buffey surname appeared 117 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Buffey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Buffey to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Buffey

The surname Buffey is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from a place called Boveney, which was a small village in the county of Berkshire. The name Boveney is composed of the Old English words "bofe" meaning "bank" and "ey" meaning "island," referring to an island or piece of land by a river bank.

One of the earliest records of the name Buffey can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Berkshire from 1327, where it is spelled as "Boveneye." This spelling variation indicates that the name was initially associated with the place name Boveney before evolving into its modern form of Buffey over time.

In the 14th century, a certain John de Boveneye was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Berkshire in 1348, further solidifying the connection between the surname and the village of Boveney. This record provides one of the earliest known instances of the name in its locational context.

Another notable early record of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Berkshire from 1388, where a Thomas Buffey is listed as a taxpayer. This is one of the earliest examples of the surname appearing in its modern spelling.

Throughout the centuries, several individuals bearing the surname Buffey have made their mark in various fields. One such notable figure was William Buffey (1615-1679), an English clergyman who served as the Rector of Buscot in Berkshire. Another was John Buffey (1690-1752), a prominent landowner and farmer in the village of Boveney itself.

In the 18th century, Edward Buffey (1720-1798) was a respected merchant and trader based in London. His son, also named Edward Buffey (1760-1825), followed in his footsteps and became a successful entrepreneur in the same city.

Moving into the 19th century, a certain Thomas Buffey (1810-1887) was a well-known architect who designed several notable buildings in the city of Oxford. His most famous work is the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, which still stands today as a testament to his architectural skills.

While the surname Buffey is not exceptionally common, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout history, each contributing to the rich tapestry of this name's legacy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Buffey

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Buffey.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Buffey was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Buffey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Buffey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Buffey, please contact us.

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