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

Bush, 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 Bush surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bush in America

Bush is the 372nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bush surname appeared 84,018 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 28 people would have the surname Bush.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bush 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 Bush

The surname Bush is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "busc" or "bysc," which means a bush or shrub. It was originally a topographic name, given to someone who lived near a prominent bush or shrubby area.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Bush can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Busc" or "atte Busche." This suggests that the name was already in use in England before the Norman Conquest of 1066.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Bush was particularly prevalent in the counties of Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and Norfolk. It was often associated with place names like Bushby, Bushbury, and Bushley, which further reinforced its connection to areas with significant shrubbery.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Bush was John atte Busche, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. In the 15th century, a prominent figure bearing the name was Paul Bush, a renowned printer and cartographer who worked in Germany and Switzerland.

In the 16th century, the surname Bush gained prominence with the life of Paul Bush (c. 1490-1558), a Catholic bishop and diplomat who served as a tutor to the future King Edward VI of England. Another notable figure was Gabriel Bush (1546-1615), an English churchman and academic who served as the Master of the Savoy Hospital in London.

The 17th century saw the rise of Sir John Bush (1606-1676), an English merchant and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1648. During the same period, James Bush (1608-1688) was a prominent English-born Quaker settler in colonial America.

In the 18th century, the name Bush was associated with individuals like Lewis Bush (1766-1848), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. Another notable figure was Paul Bush (1718-1805), an English clergyman and botanist who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in the West Indies.

As the surname Bush continued to spread throughout the English-speaking world, it became associated with various notable individuals, including the 41st President of the United States, George H.W. Bush (1924-2018), and his son, the 43rd President, George W. Bush (born 1946).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bush

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

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

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

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