2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Buob
A surname originating from Switzerland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Buob. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buob 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Buob in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buob, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buob
The surname BUOB has its origins in Switzerland, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Swiss German word "Buob," which means "boy" or "lad." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname for a young man or a term of endearment.
In the early days, the name was primarily concentrated in the cantons of Bern and Zürich, where it first emerged. Historical records from these regions reveal various spellings, such as Buob, Buoob, and Bueb, reflecting the linguistic variations of the time.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name BUOB can be found in the parish records of Kirchlindach, a municipality in the canton of Bern, dating back to the late 16th century. These records mention a certain Hans Buob, born in 1578, who was a local farmer and landowner.
Another notable figure bearing the surname BUOB was Jakob Buob, a Swiss military officer who served in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). He was born in 1592 in Zürich and gained recognition for his leadership and bravery on the battlefield.
In the 18th century, the name BUOB appeared in various historical documents related to the city of Bern. One such record mentions a certain Johann Rudolf Buob, a prominent merchant and civic leader who lived from 1725 to 1798.
As the name spread beyond Switzerland, it also gained a presence in other parts of Europe and North America. One notable figure was Johann Baptist Buob, a German-born Catholic priest and missionary who lived from 1801 to 1867. He spent several years in the United States, ministering to German-speaking communities in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
In the 19th century, the BUOB surname was also found in France, particularly in the Alsace region, which has close cultural ties to Switzerland. One notable individual was Jean-Baptiste Buob, a French artist and painter born in Strasbourg in 1835. He gained recognition for his landscapes and genre paintings depicting rural life in Alsace.
It is worth noting that while the BUOB surname has its roots in Switzerland, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and travel. However, the name's earliest recorded instances and historical significance can be traced back to its Swiss origins in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buob
Among Census respondents with the surname Buob, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Buob 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 Buob surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buob
Buob 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-18 bearers (-13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,421 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-11 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,554 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-13.7%) | Down 24,421 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 8,554 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 Buob 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 | #146,201 | #154,755 | -5.9% |
| Count | 113 | 102 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buob bearers went from 113 to 102 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 8,554 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #154,755.
FAQ
Buob surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buob?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Buob. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Buob?
Buob ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Buob. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Buob.
Has Buob become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buob went from 113 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Buob?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buob, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%). 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 Buob in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buob appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (2.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.0%). 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 Buob (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 Buob mean?
A surname originating from Switzerland. 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 Buob (0.03 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 Buob?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.