2000
#114,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Buhite
A locational surname derived from a place name in German or Slavic regions.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Buhite. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buhite 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Buhite in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buhite, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Black (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buhite
The surname BUHITE has its origins in the small village of Buhite, located in the rural countryside of southern France during the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French words "bou" meaning hill or mound, and "hite" meaning hut or small dwelling. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have resided on or near a hillside where simple huts or cottages were built.
One of the earliest known records of the BUHITE surname can be found in a local parish registry from the year 1275, which mentions a man named Jean BUHITE. This entry provides evidence that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 13th century.
During the 14th century, the BUHITE surname began to spread beyond its original locale as families migrated to other parts of France and even neighboring countries. A document from 1349 in the town of Avignon references a merchant named Pierre BUHITE, indicating that some members of the family had achieved a certain level of prosperity and were involved in trade.
In the 15th century, the name appears to have been adopted by a minor noble family in the region of Provence. A manuscript dating back to 1487 mentions a knight named Sir Guilhem BUHITE, suggesting that the surname had gained a degree of social status and recognition.
One of the most notable individuals bearing the BUHITE surname was Jacques BUHITE, a French philosopher and writer who lived from 1560 to 1628. He was widely respected for his works on ethics and moral philosophy, which were influential during the Renaissance period.
Another prominent figure was Marie BUHITE, a 17th-century French painter who was celebrated for her portraits and religious artwork. She was born in 1625 and her paintings can still be found in several churches and museums throughout France.
In the 18th century, the BUHITE surname also found its way to other parts of Europe. Records show that a family by the name of BUHITE settled in the German city of Hamburg around 1720, where they established a successful trading business.
One of the earliest known bearers of the BUHITE surname in England was William BUHITE, a wealthy merchant who was born in 1678 in the city of Bristol. He was involved in the lucrative trade of importing spices and textiles from the East Indies.
As the centuries passed, the BUHITE surname continued to spread across various countries and continents, carried by families who migrated and settled in new lands. While the name may have undergone minor spelling variations over time, its roots can be traced back to the small village of Buhite in southern France, where it first emerged as a distinct surname in the 12th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buhite
Among Census respondents with the surname Buhite, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Black (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Buhite 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 Buhite surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 105
- Two or more races6.0% · 7
- Black or African American4.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buhite
Buhite 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
-11 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,659 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-14 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,445 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,166 | 142 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 15,659 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 14,445 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 Buhite 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 | #129,825 | #144,270 | -11.1% |
| Count | 131 | 117 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buhite bearers went from 131 to 117 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 14,445 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #144,270.
FAQ
Buhite surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buhite?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Buhite. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Buhite?
Buhite ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Buhite. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Buhite.
Has Buhite become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buhite went from 131 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 14 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Buhite?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buhite, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Black (4.3%). 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 Buhite in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buhite appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Two or More Races (6.0%), Black (4.3%). 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 Buhite (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 Buhite mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in German or Slavic regions. 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 Buhite (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 people are called Buhite?
See how many people have the surname Buhite on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.