2000
#5,721
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,556
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.06
Rare Last name
Buie
A Scottish locational surname derived from the lands of Buie in the parish of Crimond, Aberdeenshire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,541 Americans carry the last name Buie. That puts it at #5,842 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,401 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buie 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Buie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.5K
1 in 52,401
Census rank
#5,842
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,704 bearers of the surname Buie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5842nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buie, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.3%. The next largest groups are Black (45.1%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buie
The surname BUIE has its origins in Scotland, specifically in the Highlands region. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic word "buidhe," which means "yellow" or "fair-haired." The name likely referred to someone with blonde or light-colored hair, a distinguishing physical characteristic in the region at the time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BUIE dates back to the 16th century. In 1542, a document from the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland mentioned a person named "Johnne Bwy," which is thought to be an early spelling variation of the surname.
Throughout the centuries, the name BUIE has been associated with various notable individuals. One such person was James Buie, a Scottish mathematician who lived from 1698 to 1776. He made significant contributions to the field of geometry and was a professor at the University of St. Andrews.
Another prominent figure with the surname BUIE was Robert Buie, a Scottish soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. Born in 1745, he served as a lieutenant in the British Army and later settled in Nova Scotia after the war ended.
In the 19th century, there was a family of BUIE landowners in Argyllshire, Scotland. The family's ancestral home was located in the village of Kilmichael Glassary, and they were influential members of the local community.
Moving to the 20th century, one notable bearer of the name BUIE was David Buie, a Scottish-born architect who lived from 1900 to 1978. He designed several notable buildings in the United States, including the Arapahoe County Courthouse in Colorado.
Another individual with the surname BUIE was Jessie Buie, a Scottish poet and writer who lived from 1884 to 1962. She published several collections of poetry and prose, often drawing inspiration from her Highland heritage and the natural landscapes of Scotland.
While the surname BUIE has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. However, its earliest recorded instances and historical significance remain firmly rooted in the Scottish Highlands and the Gaelic language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buie
Among Census respondents with the surname Buie, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.3%. The next largest groups are Black (45.1%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Buie 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 Buie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.3% · 2,640
- Black or African American45.1% · 2,572
- Two or more races4.9% · 278
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 145
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buie
Buie 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
#5,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,943
+387 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 2.01
Rank movement Down 95 places
2020
#5,842
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,704
-239 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.91
Rank movement Down 26 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,721 | 5,556 | 2.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,816 | 5,943 | 2.01 | +387 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 95 places |
| 2020 | #5,842 | 5,704 | 1.91 | -239 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 26 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 Buie 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 | #5,816 | #5,842 | -0.4% |
| Count | 5,943 | 5,704 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.01 | 1.91 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buie bearers went from 5,943 to 5,704 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 26 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,816 to #5,842.
FAQ
Buie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buie?
Name Census estimates that about 6,541 living Americans carry the surname Buie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,401 residents.
How common is Buie?
Buie ranks #5,842 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,704 people with the surname Buie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,541), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Buie.
Has Buie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buie went from 5,943 recorded bearers to 5,704. That is a decrease of 239 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,816 to #5,842.
What does the Census say about the background of Buie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buie, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.3%. The next largest groups are Black (45.1%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Buie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.3% (2,640 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (46.3%), Black (45.1%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Buie (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 Buie mean?
A Scottish locational surname derived from the lands of Buie in the parish of Crimond, Aberdeenshire. 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 Buie (1.91 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 have the last name Buie?
See how many people have the surname Buie on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.