2000
#9,984
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,981
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.11
Rare Last name
Buhler
An occupational surname referring to a person who worked in a mill or lived near a hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,666 Americans carry the last name Buhler. That puts it at #9,692 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 93,495 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buhler 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
3.7K
1 in 93,495
Census rank
#9,692
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,197 bearers of the surname Buhler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9692nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buhler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buhler
The surname Buhler originated in the German region of Bavaria. It is derived from the Middle High German word "buohil," which means "hill" or "small hill." This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near or on a hill.
The earliest known recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known mentions is found in the "Stadtrechtsquellen von Augsburg," a collection of legal records from the city of Augsburg, dating back to 1276. The name is spelled "Buohler" in these records.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms, such as "Buehler" and "Buheler," in various official documents and records from the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. During this time, the name was also associated with various place names, such as "Bühlertal" (Bühler Valley) and "Bühlerberg" (Bühler Hill).
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Buhler, a farmer from the village of Hausen in Baden-Württemberg, who lived in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Johannes Buhler, a Protestant theologian and author from Augsburg, who lived from 1563 to 1629.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name became more widespread throughout the German-speaking regions of Europe. During this period, several individuals with the surname Buhler made significant contributions in various fields. For example, Johann Buhler (1587-1642) was a renowned mathematician and astronomer from Nuremberg, while Georg Buhler (1643-1718) was a respected theologian and author from Heidelberg.
In the 18th century, the name continued to be prominent in Germany and Switzerland. One notable figure from this time was Johann Georg Buhler (1715-1782), a Swiss painter and engraver who is known for his landscapes and architectural works.
The 19th century saw the name spread further afield, with individuals bearing the surname Buhler migrating to other parts of Europe and beyond. One such individual was Johann Jakob Buhler (1806-1875), a Swiss-American writer and journalist who settled in the United States and became a prominent figure in the German-American community.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buhler
Among Census respondents with the surname Buhler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Buhler 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 Buhler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 2,966
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 103
- Two or more races2.3% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 26
- Black or African American0.8% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buhler
Buhler 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
#10,245
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,146
+165 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 261 places
2020
#9,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,197
+51 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Up 553 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,984 | 2,981 | 1.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,245 | 3,146 | 1.07 | +165 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 261 places |
| 2020 | #9,692 | 3,197 | 1.07 | +51 bearers (+1.6%) | Up 553 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 Buhler 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 | #10,245 | #9,692 | 5.4% |
| Count | 3,146 | 3,197 | 1.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 1.07 | -0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buhler bearers went from 3,146 to 3,197 (+1.6% change). The surname moved up 553 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,245 to #9,692.
FAQ
Buhler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buhler?
Name Census estimates that about 3,666 living Americans carry the surname Buhler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 93,495 residents.
How common is Buhler?
Buhler ranks #9,692 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,197 people with the surname Buhler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,666), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Buhler.
Has Buhler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buhler went from 3,146 recorded bearers to 3,197. That is an increase of 51 (+1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,245 to #9,692.
What does the Census say about the background of Buhler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buhler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Buhler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (2,966 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buhler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Buhler (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 Buhler mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who worked in a mill or lived near a hill. 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 Buhler (1.07 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 Buhler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.