2000
#6,800
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,566
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.69
Rare Last name
Bushman
A descriptive surname referring to someone who lived or worked in the woods or wilderness.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,424 Americans carry the last name Bushman. That puts it at #6,844 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,192 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bushman 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
5.4K
1 in 63,192
Census rank
#6,844
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,730 bearers of the surname Bushman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6844th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bushman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bushman
Among Census respondents with the surname Bushman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bushman 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 Bushman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 4,241
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 182
- Two or more races3.5% · 165
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 36
- Black or African American0.7% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bushman
Bushman 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
#6,771
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,981
+415 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 1.69
Rank movement Up 29 places
2020
#6,844
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,730
-251 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Down 73 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,800 | 4,566 | 1.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,771 | 4,981 | 1.69 | +415 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 29 places |
| 2020 | #6,844 | 4,730 | 1.58 | -251 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 73 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 Bushman 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 | #6,771 | #6,844 | -1.1% |
| Count | 4,981 | 4,730 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.69 | 1.58 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bushman bearers went from 4,981 to 4,730 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 73 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,771 to #6,844.
FAQ
Bushman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bushman?
Name Census estimates that about 5,424 living Americans carry the surname Bushman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,192 residents.
How common is Bushman?
Bushman ranks #6,844 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,730 people with the surname Bushman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,424), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bushman.
Has Bushman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bushman went from 4,981 recorded bearers to 4,730. That is a decrease of 251 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,771 to #6,844.
What does the Census say about the background of Bushman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bushman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Bushman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (4,241 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bushman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Bushman (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 Bushman mean?
A descriptive surname referring to someone who lived or worked in the woods or wilderness. 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 Bushman (1.58 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 Americans have the surname Bushman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.