2000
#37,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 556
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.21
Very Rare Last name
Bugay
A surname potentially of Turkish origin indicating a person of noble or high-ranking status.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 716 Americans carry the last name Bugay. That puts it at #38,228 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 478,707 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bugay 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
716
1 in 478,707
Census rank
#38,228
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
624
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 624 bearers of the surname Bugay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38228th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bugay, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (25.5%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bugay
The surname Bugay has its origins in the Russian Empire, emerging in the late 18th century. It is believed to have derived from the Russian word "bug," meaning "hump" or "protrusion," suggesting a possible physical characteristic of an early bearer of the name. Alternatively, some sources link it to the Slavic word "bugor," which translates to "hill" or "mound," potentially indicating a geographic association.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bugay surname can be found in the imperial records of the Russian Empire, where a Grigory Bugay was listed as a landowner in the Kharkiv region in the early 1800s. Another notable early bearer was Ivan Bugay, a Cossack leader who participated in the Khmelnitsky Uprising against Polish rule in the mid-17th century.
The Bugay name gained prominence in the 19th century, with several individuals making significant contributions in various fields. Notably, Andrei Bugay (1826-1898) was a renowned Russian painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes. His contemporary, Mikhail Bugay (1833-1911), was a prominent architect who designed several notable buildings in St. Petersburg.
In the realm of literature, Olga Bugay (1865-1932) was a celebrated Russian poet and playwright whose works explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition. Her contemporaries included the esteemed writer and philosopher Dmitry Bugay (1872-1949), whose philosophical treatises on existentialism and ethics garnered widespread acclaim.
As the 20th century dawned, the Bugay name continued to make its mark. Nikolai Bugay (1903-1988) was a pioneering Soviet aerospace engineer who played a crucial role in the development of early Soviet rocket technology. His contributions paved the way for the nation's eventual successes in space exploration.
While the Bugay surname originated in Russia, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, its roots remain firmly embedded in the rich cultural and historical tapestry of the Russian Empire and its successor states.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bugay
Among Census respondents with the surname Bugay, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (25.5%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bugay 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 Bugay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.2% · 407
- Asian and Pacific Islander25.5% · 159
- Two or more races5.6% · 35
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 5
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bugay
Bugay 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
#40,016
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 548
-8 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 2,376 places
2020
#38,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 624
+76 bearers (+13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Up 1,788 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #37,640 | 556 | 0.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #40,016 | 548 | 0.19 | -8 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 2,376 places |
| 2020 | #38,228 | 624 | 0.21 | +76 bearers (+13.9%) | Up 1,788 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 Bugay 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 | #40,016 | #38,228 | 4.5% |
| Count | 548 | 624 | 13.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.21 | 9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bugay bearers went from 548 to 624 (+13.9% change). The surname moved up 1,788 positions in the national ranking, going from #40,016 to #38,228.
FAQ
Bugay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bugay?
Name Census estimates that about 716 living Americans carry the surname Bugay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 478,707 residents.
How common is Bugay?
Bugay ranks #38,228 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 624 people with the surname Bugay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (716), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Bugay.
Has Bugay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bugay went from 548 recorded bearers to 624. That is an increase of 76 (+13.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #40,016 to #38,228.
What does the Census say about the background of Bugay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bugay, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (25.5%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Bugay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.2% (407 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bugay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (25.5%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Bugay (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 Bugay mean?
A surname potentially of Turkish origin indicating a person of noble or high-ranking status. 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 Bugay (0.21 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 Bugay?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.