2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bushelman
A surname of German origin alluding to one who lived in a wooded area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Bushelman. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bushelman 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Bushelman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bushelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bushelman
The surname Bushelman originated in Germany during the late 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the German words "busch" meaning bush or shrub, and "mann" meaning man. This suggests the name may have originally referred to a person who lived near or worked with bushes or shrubs.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bushelman can be found in a 1492 census record from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which lists a "Hans Bushelman" as a resident. There are also references to a "Johann Bushelman" in a 1518 church registry from the village of Mögglingen.
In the 16th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Germany and neighboring regions. A "Peter Bushelman" is listed as a landowner in a 1563 property record from the town of Stein am Rhein in present-day Switzerland.
The earliest known record of the name Bushelman in England dates back to 1642, when a "William Bushelman" is mentioned in a parish register from the village of Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire. It is likely that this individual or his ancestors migrated from Germany to England at some point in the preceding decades.
One notable bearer of the Bushelman name was Johann Friedrich Bushelman (1723-1805), a German philosopher and theologian who taught at the University of Heidelberg. Another was Matthias Bushelman (1755-1832), a Prussian military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars.
Other individuals of historical significance with the surname Bushelman include:
1. Margarethe Bushelman (1688-1767), a German painter known for her still life works.
2. Hans Bushelman (1795-1871), a German architect who designed several churches and public buildings in Bavaria.
3. Elise Bushelman (1822-1892), a German writer and poet who published several collections of verse.
4. Otto Bushelman (1876-1944), a German industrialist who founded the Bushelman Manufacturing Company in Berlin.
5. Gerhard Bushelman (1902-1989), a German-American engineer who contributed to the development of early rocket technology.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bushelman
Among Census respondents with the surname Bushelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bushelman 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 Bushelman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.1% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bushelman
Bushelman 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-7 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,791 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-4 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 1,554 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 16,791 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 1,554 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 Bushelman 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 | #152,628 | #154,182 | -1.0% |
| Count | 107 | 103 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bushelman bearers went from 107 to 103 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 1,554 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #154,182.
FAQ
Bushelman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bushelman?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Bushelman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Bushelman?
Bushelman ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Bushelman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Bushelman.
Has Bushelman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bushelman went from 107 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Bushelman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bushelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Bushelman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.1% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bushelman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.1%), Hispanic (1.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Bushelman (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 Bushelman mean?
A surname of German origin alluding to one who lived in a wooded area. 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 Bushelman (0.03 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 Bushelman?
You can see how many people have the last name Bushelman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.