2000
#2,161
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,424
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.72
Uncommon Last name
Busby
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "town of the bush or shrub."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,296 Americans carry the last name Busby. That puts it at #2,356 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,817 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Busby 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Busby with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 19,817
Census rank
#2,356
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,083 bearers of the surname Busby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2356th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Busby, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Busby
The surname Busby has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "busc," meaning a bush or thicket, combined with the suffix "-by," signifying a farm or settlement. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person or family residing near a prominent bush or wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Busby name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror. The book mentions a landowner named Robertus de Buscebi, indicating the presence of the name in Nottinghamshire at that time.
During the 13th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, including Busseby, Bussebi, and Busseby, reflecting the phonetic variations of the time. The name was also associated with place names such as Busby, a village in Leicestershire, and Busby, a hamlet in Derbyshire, suggesting that the surname may have originated from these locations.
Noteworthy individuals bearing the Busby surname include Sir John Busby (1765-1857), a British army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a prominent settler in Australia. Another notable figure was Thomas Busby (1786-1838), an English naval officer and the first British Resident in New Zealand, playing a crucial role in the country's early colonial history.
In the realm of literature, the name is associated with Edith Busby (1872-1948), an American author and educator who wrote several books on teaching methods and children's literature. Additionally, James Busby (1801-1871), a Scottish journalist and political reformer, made significant contributions to the development of the British labor movement.
Busby is also a name with ties to the entertainment industry, with actors such as Rodney Busby (1945-2009), known for his roles in films like "Airplane!" and "The Towering Inferno," and Sylvia Busby (1949-2003), a British actress who appeared in various television shows and films.
Throughout history, the Busby surname has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, ranging from military leaders and colonial administrators to authors and actors. While its origins can be traced back to medieval England, the name has since spread across the globe, leaving its mark on various aspects of society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Busby
Among Census respondents with the surname Busby, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Busby 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 Busby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.2% · 11,196
- Black or African American16.8% · 2,527
- Two or more races4.4% · 664
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 504
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 99
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 93
Timeline
Historical Census data for Busby
Busby 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
#2,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,754
+330 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 5.34
Rank movement Down 159 places
2020
#2,356
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,083
-671 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 5.05
Rank movement Down 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,161 | 15,424 | 5.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,320 | 15,754 | 5.34 | +330 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 159 places |
| 2020 | #2,356 | 15,083 | 5.05 | -671 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 36 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 Busby 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 | #2,320 | #2,356 | -1.6% |
| Count | 15,754 | 15,083 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 5.34 | 5.05 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Busby bearers went from 15,754 to 15,083 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,320 to #2,356.
FAQ
Busby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Busby?
Name Census estimates that about 17,296 living Americans carry the surname Busby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,817 residents.
How common is Busby?
Busby ranks #2,356 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,083 people with the surname Busby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,296), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Busby.
Has Busby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Busby went from 15,754 recorded bearers to 15,083. That is a decrease of 671 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,320 to #2,356.
What does the Census say about the background of Busby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Busby, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Busby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.2% (11,196 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Busby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.2%), Black (16.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Busby (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 Busby mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "town of the bush or shrub." 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 Busby (5.05 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 have the last name Busby?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Busby at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.