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

Busch, 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 Busch surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Busch in America

Busch is the 2086th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Busch surname appeared 17,354 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Busch.

We can also compare 2010 data for Busch 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.

The history of the last name Busch

The surname Busch is of German origin, derived from the word "Busch" meaning bush or shrub. It first emerged in the 12th century in the region of Westphalia, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the 1275 Westphalian land registry, which mentions a "Hermann von dem Busche" (Hermann from the bush). This suggests the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a notable bush or wooded area.

In the 14th century, variations such as "Bussche" and "Busschen" can be found in municipal records from cities like Cologne and Münster. The spelling eventually settled on the more modern "Busch" form by the 16th century.

An early prominent bearer of the name was Johann Busch, a 15th century Catholic priest and influential monastic reformer born in 1399 in Zwolle, Netherlands. His writings criticizing the lax observance of monastic rules were highly influential during the Devotio Moderna movement.

Another notable figure was the German Renaissance painter Hieronymus Busch, born around 1525 in Münster. He is best known for his religious altarpieces and portraits of wealthy patrons, which can still be seen in churches and museums across northwestern Germany.

In the 18th century, the Busch name spread across German-speaking lands along with several accomplished individuals. These include the philosopher and writer Johann Georg Büsch (1728-1800) and the renowned architect Johann Conrad Busch (1775-1844), responsible for many neoclassical buildings in Berlin.

As German immigrants came to America in the 19th century, the name took root there as well. One of the most famous American Busches was Adolphus Busch (1839-1913), the co-founder of the Anheuser-Busch brewing company in St. Louis, Missouri.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Busch

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

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 Busch was:

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 Busch has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Busch was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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