2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Bugas
A surname derived from the Romanian/Moldovan word "bugat," meaning a prosperous person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Bugas. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bugas 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Bugas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bugas, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (25.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bugas
The surname "BUGAS" is believed to have originated in the region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain during the medieval period. It is thought to derive from the Catalan word "buga," which referred to a type of laundry tub or basin used for washing clothes. Variations in spelling, such as "Buga" and "Buguet," were common in early records.
One of the earliest known references to the name appears in a document from the town of Tortosa, dated 1287, which mentions a landowner named Ramon Bugas. Additionally, a 14th-century census record from the city of Barcelona lists several households headed by individuals with the surname Bugas or a similar variation.
In the 15th century, the name can be found in various legal and ecclesiastical records from the Catalan region. Notable examples include Joan Bugas, a merchant from Girona who was involved in trade with Italian cities in 1462, and Pere Bugas, a priest who served in the village of Montblanc in the late 1400s.
As the centuries progressed, individuals bearing the Bugas surname began to spread beyond Catalonia to other parts of Spain and, eventually, to the Americas during the colonial era. One notable figure was Diego Bugas, a Spanish soldier and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in the early 16th century.
Another significant individual was Juana Bugas, a philanthropist and benefactor from Seville, who lived from 1632 to 1712. She donated a substantial portion of her wealth to establish a hospital and orphanage in her hometown.
In the 19th century, the name can be found among emigrants from Spain to countries like Argentina and Cuba. One such individual was Ramón Bugas, a Cuban writer and poet born in 1845, who was known for his works celebrating the island's natural beauty and cultural heritage.
While the Bugas surname is relatively uncommon in modern times, it maintains a rich historical legacy rooted in the Catalan region of Spain, where it first emerged as a marker of identity for those involved in textile trades and domestic crafts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bugas
Among Census respondents with the surname Bugas, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (25.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bugas 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 Bugas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.8% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander25.2% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bugas
Bugas appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+4 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,595 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.9%) | Up 5,595 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 Bugas 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 | #157,234 | #151,639 | 3.6% |
| Count | 103 | 107 | 3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bugas bearers went from 103 to 107 (+3.9% change). The surname moved up 5,595 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #151,639.
FAQ
Bugas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bugas?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Bugas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Bugas?
Bugas ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Bugas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Bugas.
Has Bugas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bugas went from 103 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 4 (+3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Bugas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bugas, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (25.2%). 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 Bugas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.8% (80 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bugas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (25.2%). 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 Bugas (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 Bugas mean?
A surname derived from the Romanian/Moldovan word "bugat," meaning a prosperous person. 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 Bugas (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 Americans have the surname Bugas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.