2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Buskill
An occupational name likely for someone who worked near bushes or shrubs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Buskill. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buskill 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Buskill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buskill, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buskill
The surname Buskill has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "busc" and "hyll", which roughly translate to "bush hill" or "wooded hill". This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a heavily forested hill or a settlement surrounded by bushes and trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a person named "Robert de Buschull". This spelling variation likely reflects the regional pronunciation and dialect of the time. The name also appears in various other medieval records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, which lists a "John Buschull".
During the medieval period, the Buskill family seemed to have been concentrated primarily in the counties of Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire. This is evidenced by the numerous references to individuals bearing the name in local records and tax rolls from those areas.
In the 16th century, the name began to appear in its more modern spelling of "Buskill". One notable figure from this era was William Buskill, who was born in Gloucestershire in 1541 and later served as a member of the local gentry.
As the centuries progressed, the Buskill family continued to maintain a presence in various parts of England. In the 18th century, a prominent member of the family was John Buskill (1723-1798), a successful merchant and landowner from Oxfordshire.
Another individual of note was Sir Thomas Buskill (1789-1862), a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Woodstock in Oxfordshire during the early 19th century.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Buskill name gained further recognition with the achievements of two brothers, Henry Buskill (1861-1932) and Edward Buskill (1863-1941). Henry was a renowned architect who designed numerous notable buildings in London, while Edward was a respected academic and author who taught at Oxford University.
Throughout its long history, the surname Buskill has been associated with various professions and walks of life, from landed gentry and merchants to lawyers, politicians, architects, and academics. While the name may have originated from humble beginnings, referring to those who lived near wooded hills, it has since become a part of England's rich tapestry of family histories.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buskill
Among Census respondents with the surname Buskill, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Buskill 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 Buskill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 118
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buskill
Buskill 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+8 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,361 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+5 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,840 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.4%) | Down 1,361 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.3%) | Up 1,840 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 Buskill 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 | #143,149 | #141,309 | 1.3% |
| Count | 116 | 121 | 4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buskill bearers went from 116 to 121 (+4.3% change). The surname moved up 1,840 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #141,309.
FAQ
Buskill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buskill?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Buskill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Buskill?
Buskill ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Buskill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Buskill.
Has Buskill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buskill went from 116 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 5 (+4.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #143,149 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Buskill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buskill, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Buskill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (118 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buskill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Buskill (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 Buskill mean?
An occupational name likely for someone who worked near bushes or shrubs. 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 Buskill (0.04 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 share the surname Buskill?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.