2000
#6,225
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,059
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.88
Rare Last name
Bushnell
An English toponymic surname derived from places meaning "bush hill," referring to a dweller near a wooded hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,577 Americans carry the last name Bushnell. That puts it at #6,674 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,459 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bushnell 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bushnell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 61,459
Census rank
#6,674
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,863 bearers of the surname Bushnell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6674th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bushnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bushnell
The surname Bushnell has its origins in England, dating back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English words "busc" meaning bush, and "hyll" meaning hill, indicating that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a bush-covered hill.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Buschehelle" and "Buskenill." This suggests that the name was already established in various spellings during the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records as "Bushnel" and "Bushnell." These spellings were likely influenced by the Norman-French pronunciation of the name.
The earliest known bearer of the name was Robert de Bushnell, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1199. Another notable figure was William Bushnell, who served as a member of parliament for Nottinghamshire in the 14th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Bushnell family was prominent in the county of Derbyshire, with several members holding positions of importance. One such individual was John Bushnell (1540-1610), who served as the High Sheriff of Derbyshire.
In the 18th century, David Bushnell (1742-1824) gained fame as an American inventor and the creator of the first submarine used in warfare, known as the "Turtle." His invention played a role in the American Revolutionary War.
Another notable bearer of the name was Katharine Bushnell (1855-1946), an American missionary and social reformer who advocated for women's rights and worked to end the trafficking of women and children.
In the literary world, Alan Bushnell (1911-1995) was a British author and journalist, best known for his novels set in the Middle East and his non-fiction works on the region.
While the Bushnell name has its roots in England, it has spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and colonization. The name remains prevalent in various English-speaking countries today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bushnell
Among Census respondents with the surname Bushnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bushnell 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 Bushnell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.9% · 4,082
- Black or African American8.0% · 390
- Two or more races4.4% · 213
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 128
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bushnell
Bushnell 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
#6,542
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,176
+117 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.75
Rank movement Down 317 places
2020
#6,674
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,863
-313 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.63
Rank movement Down 132 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,225 | 5,059 | 1.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,542 | 5,176 | 1.75 | +117 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 317 places |
| 2020 | #6,674 | 4,863 | 1.63 | -313 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 132 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 Bushnell 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 | #6,542 | #6,674 | -2.0% |
| Count | 5,176 | 4,863 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.75 | 1.63 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bushnell bearers went from 5,176 to 4,863 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 132 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,542 to #6,674.
FAQ
Bushnell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bushnell?
Name Census estimates that about 5,577 living Americans carry the surname Bushnell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,459 residents.
How common is Bushnell?
Bushnell ranks #6,674 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.63 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 4,863 people with the surname Bushnell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,577), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.63 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 Bushnell.
Has Bushnell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bushnell went from 5,176 recorded bearers to 4,863. That is a decrease of 313 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,542 to #6,674.
What does the Census say about the background of Bushnell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bushnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Bushnell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.9% (4,082 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bushnell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.9%), Black (8.0%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Bushnell (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 Bushnell mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from places meaning "bush hill," referring to a dweller near a wooded hill. 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 Bushnell (1.63 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 people are called Bushnell?
Find out how many people are called Bushnell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.