2000
#5,254
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.26
Rare Last name
Bumgarner
A German occupational surname referring to a person who grew or harvested a type of buckwheat.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,654 Americans carry the last name Bumgarner. That puts it at #5,753 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,511 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bumgarner 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
6.7K
1 in 51,511
Census rank
#5,753
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,803 bearers of the surname Bumgarner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5753rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bumgarner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bumgarner
The surname Bumgarner is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German words "bûn" meaning "to dwell" and "gartenære" meaning "gardener". It likely originated in the 13th or 14th century as an occupational surname for someone who worked as a gardener or cultivated a small plot of land.
The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 15th century in the region of Bavaria, Germany. In a town registry from 1487, the name appears as "Baumgartnær", which is believed to be an earlier spelling variation. This spelling suggests a connection to the German word "Baumgarten", meaning "orchard" or "tree garden".
In the 16th century, the name appears in various records across southern Germany, with spellings such as "Baumgartner", "Baumgardner", and "Baumgärter". One notable individual from this period was Hans Baumgartner, a master craftsman and woodcarver born in Nuremberg in 1525, known for his intricate religious artwork.
As the name spread throughout German-speaking regions, it underwent further variations in spelling, eventually leading to the modern form of "Bumgarner". In the 17th century, the name is recorded in several church records in the Palatinate region, with spellings like "Bumgartner" and "Bumgardner".
One of the earliest known bearers of the Bumgarner surname in the New World was Johann Bumgarner, who immigrated to Pennsylvania from the Palatinate in 1748. His descendants eventually settled in the Appalachian regions of Virginia and North Carolina, where the name remains prevalent today.
Another notable figure was Jacob Bumgarner (1780-1864), a pioneer and farmer who played a role in the settlement of western North Carolina. He was among the first settlers in what is now Caldwell County and served as a local militia captain during the War of 1812.
In the 19th century, the Bumgarner name is found in various records across the United States, particularly in the Appalachian regions. One prominent individual was William H. Bumgarner (1841-1915), a Union Army veteran and lawyer who served as a judge in Tennessee after the Civil War.
Throughout the 20th century, several individuals with the Bumgarner surname made notable contributions in various fields. These include Madison Bumgarner (born 1989), a professional baseball pitcher who played a pivotal role in the San Francisco Giants' World Series championships in 2010, 2012, and 2014.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bumgarner
Among Census respondents with the surname Bumgarner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bumgarner 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 Bumgarner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 5,334
- Two or more races3.4% · 197
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 123
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 65
- Black or African American0.9% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bumgarner
Bumgarner 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
#5,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,246
+142 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 2.12
Rank movement Down 313 places
2020
#5,753
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,803
-443 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Down 186 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,254 | 6,104 | 2.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,567 | 6,246 | 2.12 | +142 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 313 places |
| 2020 | #5,753 | 5,803 | 1.94 | -443 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 186 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 Bumgarner 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 | #5,567 | #5,753 | -3.3% |
| Count | 6,246 | 5,803 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.12 | 1.94 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bumgarner bearers went from 6,246 to 5,803 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 186 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,567 to #5,753.
FAQ
Bumgarner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bumgarner?
Name Census estimates that about 6,654 living Americans carry the surname Bumgarner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,511 residents.
How common is Bumgarner?
Bumgarner ranks #5,753 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.94 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 5,803 people with the surname Bumgarner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,654), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.94 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 Bumgarner.
Has Bumgarner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bumgarner went from 6,246 recorded bearers to 5,803. That is a decrease of 443 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,567 to #5,753.
What does the Census say about the background of Bumgarner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bumgarner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Bumgarner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (5,334 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bumgarner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Bumgarner (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 Bumgarner mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who grew or harvested a type of buckwheat. 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 Bumgarner (1.94 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 Bumgarner?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Bumgarner on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.