Bugay last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Bugay

A surname potentially of Turkish origin indicating a person of noble or high-ranking status.

Bugay, 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 Bugay surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bugay in America

Bugay is the 40016th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bugay surname appeared 548 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 Bugay.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bugay 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 40016 37640 6.12%
Count 548 556 -1.45%
Proportion per 100k 0.19 0.21 -10.00%

The history of the last name 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bugay

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

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 Bugay was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 72.45% 397
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 23.91% 131
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.01% 11
Hispanic Origin 1.46% 8

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 Bugay has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 72.45% 76.98% -6.06%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 23.91% 20.50% 15.36%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 2.01% 1.80% 11.02%
Hispanic 1.46% (S)% (S)%

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Bugay last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 11, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/bugay-surname-popularity/.

"Bugay last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/bugay-surname-popularity/. Accessed 11 July, 2025

Bugay last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/bugay-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.