2000
#7,476
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.52
Rare Last name
Bumgardner
An occupational surname for an orchard keeper, derived from the German words "baumgartner" meaning "tree gardener."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,465 Americans carry the last name Bumgardner. That puts it at #8,135 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,765 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bumgardner 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
4.5K
1 in 76,765
Census rank
#8,135
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,894 bearers of the surname Bumgardner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8135th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bumgardner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bumgardner
The surname Bumgardner is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, most likely in the areas that are now part of modern-day Germany and Switzerland. It is believed to have emerged during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
The name Bumgardner is thought to be derived from the Old Germanic words "bum" and "garten," which translates to "tree garden" or "orchard." This suggests that the surname may have been initially used to identify individuals who lived near or worked in orchards or areas with a significant number of fruit trees.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Bumgardner can be found in a German manuscript from the late 15th century, which lists a certain "Hans Bumgardner" as a resident of a small village in the region of Bavaria.
In the 16th century, the name appears in several local records and documents in the German-speaking regions, often spelled slightly differently, such as "Bumgartner" or "Baumgartner." This variation in spelling was common during that time period due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
A notable individual with the surname Bumgardner was Johann Bumgardner (1587-1648), a German theologian and scholar who authored several influential works on religious philosophy during the Protestant Reformation.
Another historical figure was Anna Bumgardner (1623-1692), a German-born woman who immigrated to the American colonies in the mid-17th century and became one of the earliest settlers in the colony of Pennsylvania.
In the 18th century, the surname Bumgardner began to appear more frequently in records from the German-speaking regions of Europe, as well as in areas where German immigrants had settled, such as parts of the United States and Canada.
One notable bearer of the name during this time was Friedrich Bumgardner (1732-1801), a German-born artist who gained recognition for his intricate woodcarvings and sculptures, many of which can still be found in museums and private collections today.
During the 19th century, the Bumgardner surname continued to spread throughout various parts of Europe and the Americas, with individuals bearing the name contributing to various fields, including agriculture, education, and politics.
A prominent figure from this period was William Bumgardner (1845-1912), an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from the state of Ohio in the late 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bumgardner
Among Census respondents with the surname Bumgardner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bumgardner 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 Bumgardner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 3,556
- Two or more races3.9% · 151
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 100
- Black or African American1.4% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bumgardner
Bumgardner 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
#7,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,264
+157 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 307 places
2020
#8,135
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,894
-370 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 352 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,476 | 4,107 | 1.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,783 | 4,264 | 1.45 | +157 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 307 places |
| 2020 | #8,135 | 3,894 | 1.30 | -370 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 352 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 Bumgardner 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 | #7,783 | #8,135 | -4.5% |
| Count | 4,264 | 3,894 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.45 | 1.30 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bumgardner bearers went from 4,264 to 3,894 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 352 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,783 to #8,135.
FAQ
Bumgardner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bumgardner?
Name Census estimates that about 4,465 living Americans carry the surname Bumgardner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,765 residents.
How common is Bumgardner?
Bumgardner ranks #8,135 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 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 3,894 people with the surname Bumgardner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,465), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 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 Bumgardner.
Has Bumgardner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bumgardner went from 4,264 recorded bearers to 3,894. That is a decrease of 370 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,783 to #8,135.
What does the Census say about the background of Bumgardner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bumgardner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Bumgardner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (3,556 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bumgardner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Bumgardner (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 Bumgardner mean?
An occupational surname for an orchard keeper, derived from the German words "baumgartner" meaning "tree gardener." 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 Bumgardner (1.30 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 Bumgardner?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Bumgardner? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.