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

Bushman, 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 Bushman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bushman in America

Bushman is the 6771st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bushman surname appeared 4,981 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Bushman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bushman 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 Bushman

The surname BUSHMAN originates from England, emerging in the late 16th century. It is derived from the Old English words "busc" and "mann," meaning a person who lived in or near a bush or shrubland area. The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1598, where it appears as "Buschman."

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the name is not mentioned directly, but there are references to places with similar names, such as "Buschebi" in Lincolnshire and "Buschelai" in Yorkshire, indicating the presence of people living in areas with bushes or shrublands.

One of the earliest known BUSHMAN individuals was John Bushman, who was born in Nottinghamshire, England, in 1612. He later emigrated to the American colonies and settled in Virginia in the mid-17th century.

Another notable figure was Sir William Bushman (1690-1758), a British military officer who served in the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War. He was knighted for his bravery in battle and is buried in Westminster Abbey.

In the 19th century, the BUSHMAN name was associated with the exploration of Africa. David Livingstone (1813-1873), the famous Scottish missionary and explorer, referred to the San people of Southern Africa as "Bushmen" in his journals and writings.

Albert Bushman (1857-1935) was a Dutch-born American artist known for his landscape paintings depicting the American West. He was part of the Hudson River School movement and exhibited his works at the National Academy of Design.

Elizabeth Bushman (1901-1989) was a British author and historian who wrote extensively on the social and cultural history of England. Her book "The Elizabethan Family" is considered a seminal work in the field of family history.

Throughout history, the BUSHMAN surname has been linked to rural areas, nature, and exploration, reflecting the origins of the name and the occupations or lifestyles of those who bore it.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bushman

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!