2000
#42,830
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 476
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Very Rare Last name
Busboom
A Dutch surname meaning "farmer of a bushel of land".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 537 Americans carry the last name Busboom. That puts it at #48,712 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 638,276 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Busboom 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
537
1 in 638,276
Census rank
#48,712
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
468
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 468 bearers of the surname Busboom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 48712th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Busboom, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Busboom
The surname BUSBOOM is of Dutch origin, derived from the Middle Dutch words "bos" meaning "bush" or "shrub" and "boom" meaning "tree." It is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the late medieval period, likely around the 13th or 14th century.
The name BUSBOOM would have initially been used to identify individuals who lived near a particular bush or group of trees, often in a rural or forested area. It may have also referred to individuals who worked with bushes or trees, such as woodcutters or foresters.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BUSBOOM can be found in a Dutch baptismal record from the year 1572, where a child named Claes Busboom was christened in the town of Gouda, located in the province of South Holland.
Another notable early reference comes from the Dutch East India Company (VOC) archives, where a sailor named Pieter Busboom is mentioned as serving aboard the ship "De Zwarte Leeuw" (The Black Lion) in the year 1643.
In the 17th century, a prominent figure named Johan Busboom (1630-1691) was a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his landscapes and seascapes. His works can be found in museums across Europe, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
During the 18th century, a Dutch military officer named Hendrik Busboom (1720-1788) served in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) and was involved in various battles against the local population.
In the 19th century, a notable person with the surname BUSBOOM was the Dutch poet and novelist Gerard Busboom (1810-1872), who wrote several works that were popular during his lifetime.
Throughout its history, the surname BUSBOOM has also been associated with various place names in the Netherlands, such as Busboomkwartier (Busboom Quarter) in the city of Leiden and Busboomweg (Busboom Road) in the town of Warmond.
While the surname BUSBOOM is not as common as some other Dutch surnames, it has been carried by many individuals throughout the centuries, each with their own unique stories and contributions to Dutch history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Busboom
Among Census respondents with the surname Busboom, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Busboom 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 Busboom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.9% · 449
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 5
- Two or more races1.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Busboom
Busboom 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
#43,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 500
+24 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 376 places
2020
#48,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 468
-32 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 5,506 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #42,830 | 476 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #43,206 | 500 | 0.17 | +24 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 376 places |
| 2020 | #48,712 | 468 | 0.16 | -32 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 5,506 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 Busboom 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 | #43,206 | #48,712 | -12.7% |
| Count | 500 | 468 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.16 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Busboom bearers went from 500 to 468 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 5,506 positions in the national ranking, going from #43,206 to #48,712.
FAQ
Busboom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Busboom?
Name Census estimates that about 537 living Americans carry the surname Busboom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 638,276 residents.
How common is Busboom?
Busboom ranks #48,712 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 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 468 people with the surname Busboom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (537), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 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 Busboom.
Has Busboom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Busboom went from 500 recorded bearers to 468. That is a decrease of 32 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #43,206 to #48,712.
What does the Census say about the background of Busboom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Busboom, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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 Busboom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.9% (449 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Busboom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.9%), Hispanic (1.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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 Busboom (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 Busboom mean?
A Dutch surname meaning "farmer of a bushel of land". 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 Busboom (0.16 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 common is the surname Busboom?
See how many people have the surname Busboom on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.