Busbea last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Busbea is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Busbea.

Meaning of Busbea

A locational surname originating from a place called Busby in England.

Busbea, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Busbea surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Busbea in America

Busbea is the 151532nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Busbea surname appeared 108 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Busbea.

We can also compare 2010 data for Busbea to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 151532 147095 2.97%
Count 108 103 4.74%
Proportion per 100k 0.04 0.04 0.00%

The history of the last name Busbea

The surname Busbea originated in England during the medieval period, specifically in the county of Kent. It is derived from the Old English words "bus" meaning "bush" and "bea" meaning "dweller," indicating that the name was given to someone who resided near or in a bushy area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Bushbei," which is believed to be an early spelling variation of Busbea.

During the 13th century, records show a John de Bussebeye, who was a landowner in the village of Bussebeye, now known as Busbey in Kent. This place name is likely the origin of the surname, as it was common for people to adopt surnames based on the location where they lived or held property.

In the 14th century, a notable figure with the surname Busbea was Sir William Busbea, a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War against France. He was born in 1325 and died in 1388.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Thomas Busbea, a merchant and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the city of Canterbury in the 16th century. He was born in 1520 and died in 1589.

During the 17th century, a family of Busbeas settled in the American colonies, with records showing a Robert Busbea arriving in Virginia in 1635. He later became a prominent landowner and founding member of the Busbea family in the United States.

In the 18th century, a notable figure was John Busbea, an English botanist and explorer who traveled to South America and documented many new plant species. He was born in 1735 and died in 1801.

Another individual of note was William Busbea, a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in 1775 and died in 1845, having achieved the rank of Admiral in the Royal Navy.

While the surname Busbea is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of English and American history, tracing its roots back to medieval times and the county of Kent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Busbea

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Busbea.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Busbea was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.44% 102
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 4.63% 5

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Busbea has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.44% 96.12% -1.76%
Black (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 4.63% (S)% (S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Busbea was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Busbea, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Busbea last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 11, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/busbea-surname-popularity/.

"Busbea last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/busbea-surname-popularity/. Accessed 11 July, 2025

Busbea last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/busbea-surname-popularity/.

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