2000
#103,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 160
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Buro
A Dutch or German surname meaning "office" or "desk".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 376 Americans carry the last name Buro. That puts it at #65,358 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 911,581 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buro 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
376
1 in 911,581
Census rank
#65,358
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
328
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 328 bearers of the surname Buro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 65358th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buro, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buro
The surname BURO is believed to have originated in the Netherlands, likely emerging in the 15th or 16th century. It is thought to derive from the Dutch word "buur," meaning "neighbor" or "one who lives nearby." This suggests that the name may have initially been given as a descriptive term to someone living in close proximity to others, perhaps in a village or town setting.
Early records show variations in spelling, such as Buuro, Buurow, and Burow, reflecting the fluid nature of surname development during that time period. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Leiden court records of 1579, where a certain Willem Buro is mentioned.
In the 17th century, the name BURO began to appear more frequently in Dutch records, particularly in the provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel. Notable individuals from this era include Johannes Buro (1592-1672), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his landscapes and portraits.
As the Dutch explored and colonized parts of the world in the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname BURO also spread to other regions. For example, in 1658, a man named Pieter Buro was recorded as one of the early settlers in the Dutch Cape Colony in South Africa.
In the 19th century, the BURO name gained prominence in Germany, with several notable figures emerging. These include Friedrich Wilhelm Buro (1802-1876), a German theologian and author, and Johann Christian Buro (1776-1846), a German physician and writer on medical topics.
Another significant figure with the BURO surname was the Dutch-born Australian politician and lawyer, Henry Emanuel Buro (1836-1910). He played a crucial role in the development of Western Australia's legal system and served as the colony's Attorney General in the late 19th century.
While the BURO name has its roots in the Netherlands and surrounding regions, it has since spread worldwide, with bearers of the name found in various countries and cultures. Despite its geographic dispersal, the name's origins can be traced back to its humble beginnings as a descriptor for a neighbor or someone living in close proximity to others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buro
Among Census respondents with the surname Buro, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Buro 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 Buro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 296
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 15
- Black or African American1.8% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 4
- Two or more races1.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buro
Buro 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
#76,029
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 253
+93 bearers (+58.1%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 27,677 places
2020
#65,358
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 328
+75 bearers (+29.6%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 10,671 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #103,706 | 160 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #76,029 | 253 | 0.09 | +93 bearers (+58.1%) | Up 27,677 places |
| 2020 | #65,358 | 328 | 0.11 | +75 bearers (+29.6%) | Up 10,671 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 Buro 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 | #76,029 | #65,358 | 14.0% |
| Count | 253 | 328 | 29.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.11 | 21.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buro bearers went from 253 to 328 (+29.6% change). The surname moved up 10,671 positions in the national ranking, going from #76,029 to #65,358.
FAQ
Buro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buro?
Name Census estimates that about 376 living Americans carry the surname Buro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 911,581 residents.
How common is Buro?
Buro ranks #65,358 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 328 people with the surname Buro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (376), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Buro.
Has Buro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buro went from 253 recorded bearers to 328. That is an increase of 75 (+29.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #76,029 to #65,358.
What does the Census say about the background of Buro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buro, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Black (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 Buro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (296 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (4.6%), Black (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 Buro (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 Buro mean?
A Dutch or German surname meaning "office" or "desk". 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 Buro (0.11 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 share the surname Buro?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.