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

Bufkin, 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 Bufkin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bufkin in America

Bufkin is the 18253rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bufkin surname appeared 1,522 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bufkin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bufkin 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 Bufkin

The surname Bufkin is believed to have originated in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "buf" and "cyning," which together translate to "buffalo king" or "king of the buffaloes." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone associated with buffalo herding or hunting.

The earliest known record of the surname Bufkin appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Bufcyning." This entry is from the county of Lincolnshire, indicating that the name was likely prevalent in that region during the 11th century. Some variations in spelling include Buffkin, Buffkyn, and Bufkine.

In the 13th century, there are records of a family by the name of Bufkin residing in the village of Bufkin's Green, located in the county of Suffolk. This place name is believed to have derived from the surname itself, suggesting that the Bufkin family had established a significant presence in the area.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Bufkin was Sir Robert Bufkin (1250-1322), a knight who fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence under King Edward I. Another prominent figure was Lady Elizabeth Bufkin (1378-1447), who was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Margaret of Anjou.

During the 16th century, the Bufkin surname appears in various records across England, including the Parish Registers of Oxfordshire, where a John Bufkin was born in 1543. In the 17th century, a notable figure was William Bufkin (1612-1678), a merchant and landowner in the city of Bristol.

In the 18th century, the Bufkin surname gained recognition through the works of the playwright and satirist, Thomas Bufkin (1735-1797). His comedies and satires were widely popular and earned him a place in the literary circles of his time.

Another individual of note was Sir Edward Bufkin (1798-1872), a British army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a member of parliament. His military exploits and political career brought prominence to the Bufkin name in the 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bufkin

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

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 Bufkin 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 Bufkin 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 Bufkin was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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