2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Buhse
A northern German surname derived from an Old Dutch word meaning "dweller by a marsh".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Buhse. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buhse 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Buhse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buhse, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buhse
The surname BUHSE is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the 16th century in the regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia. The name is believed to have derived from the Old German word "busse," meaning a small wooded area or a thicket, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near or in a densely forested area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BUHSE surname can be found in the church records of the town of Hildesheim, located in Lower Saxony, dating back to the late 1500s. The name appears to have been concentrated in the rural areas surrounding this town during its early history.
In the 17th century, the BUHSE surname began to spread beyond its initial geographic boundaries as families migrated to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries. Notable individuals bearing this name during this period include Johann Heinrich BUHSE (1625-1701), a Lutheran theologian and writer from Hannover, and Christoph BUHSE (1673-1732), a merchant and civic leader in the town of Lüneburg.
As the surname grew more widespread, variations in spelling emerged, such as BUSE, BUSSE, and BUHS. These alternative spellings can be found in historical records from various regions, reflecting the influence of local dialects and scribal variations.
One of the most notable figures associated with the BUHSE name was Johann Gottfried BUHSE (1789-1856), a German naturalist and explorer who traveled extensively in Russia and Central Asia. His contributions to the field of natural history and his detailed accounts of his expeditions earned him recognition throughout Europe.
Other individuals of note include Heinrich BUHSE (1826-1897), a German-American architect who designed numerous buildings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Johann Wilhelm BUHSE (1832-1892), a German-American artist known for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the American West.
Throughout its history, the BUHSE surname has maintained a presence across various parts of Germany, as well as in communities of German immigrants who settled in other parts of Europe and the Americas. While the name has evolved in its spelling and geographic distribution over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the rural regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia, where the earliest bearers of this surname once lived.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buhse
Among Census respondents with the surname Buhse, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Buhse 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 Buhse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buhse
Buhse 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,437 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,437 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 32 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 Buhse 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 | #147,253 | #147,221 | 0.0% |
| Count | 112 | 113 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buhse bearers went from 112 to 113 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #147,221.
FAQ
Buhse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buhse?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Buhse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Buhse?
Buhse ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Buhse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Buhse.
Has Buhse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buhse went from 112 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Buhse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buhse, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Buhse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buhse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Buhse (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 Buhse mean?
A northern German surname derived from an Old Dutch word meaning "dweller by a marsh". 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 Buhse (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 common is the surname Buhse?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Buhse at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.