2000
#3,738
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,714
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.23
Rare Last name
Buffington
Derived from a place name meaning "the settlement of Buffa's people," referring to an Anglo-Saxon tribe.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,729 Americans carry the last name Buffington. That puts it at #4,059 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,230 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buffington 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
9.7K
1 in 35,230
Census rank
#4,059
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,484 bearers of the surname Buffington in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4059th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buffington, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buffington
The surname Buffington is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational surname, derived from the place name "Buffington" or a similar spelling variation. This place name likely referred to a town or village in one of the English counties.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Buffington surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Radulfus de Buffington, suggesting that the name had already been established by the late 11th century.
Over the centuries, various spellings of the name emerged, such as Buffyngton, Buffyngtoun, and Buffyntone, reflecting regional dialects and inconsistencies in record-keeping at the time. These variations likely originated from the Old English words "buff" (meaning a buffalo) and "tun" (meaning a town or settlement), possibly indicating that the name referred to a place where buffaloes were found or kept.
Notable individuals bearing the Buffington surname throughout history include John Buffington (1532-1598), a prominent merchant and landowner in Gloucestershire, England, and William Buffington (1670-1741), one of the earliest settlers in Pennsylvania, who established a homestead in what is now Delaware County.
In the 17th century, Thomas Buffington (1621-1687) was a prominent Quaker and one of the early settlers of Rhode Island, where he served as a deputy for the colony's general assembly. His descendants played a significant role in the development of the region.
During the American Revolutionary War, Joseph Buffington (1745-1823) served as a captain in the Continental Army and fought in several battles, including the Battle of Monmouth and the Battle of Yorktown.
Another notable figure was Benjamin Buffington (1792-1865), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Ohio, who founded the Buffington Fund, which provided educational opportunities for underprivileged children in the state.
The Buffington surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout history, leaving an indelible mark on communities across England, the United States, and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buffington
Among Census respondents with the surname Buffington, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Buffington 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 Buffington surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.0% · 7,129
- Black or African American7.8% · 659
- Two or more races3.7% · 313
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 260
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buffington
Buffington 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
#4,063
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,738
+24 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 2.96
Rank movement Down 325 places
2020
#4,059
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,484
-254 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 2.84
Rank movement Up 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,738 | 8,714 | 3.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,063 | 8,738 | 2.96 | +24 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 325 places |
| 2020 | #4,059 | 8,484 | 2.84 | -254 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 4 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 Buffington 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 | #4,063 | #4,059 | 0.1% |
| Count | 8,738 | 8,484 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.96 | 2.84 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buffington bearers went from 8,738 to 8,484 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,063 to #4,059.
FAQ
Buffington surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buffington?
Name Census estimates that about 9,729 living Americans carry the surname Buffington. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,230 residents.
How common is Buffington?
Buffington ranks #4,059 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,484 people with the surname Buffington. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,729), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Buffington.
Has Buffington become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buffington went from 8,738 recorded bearers to 8,484. That is a decrease of 254 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,063 to #4,059.
What does the Census say about the background of Buffington?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buffington, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Buffington in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.0% (7,129 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buffington appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.0%), Black (7.8%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Buffington (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 Buffington mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "the settlement of Buffa's people," referring to an Anglo-Saxon tribe. 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 Buffington (2.84 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 Buffington?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.