2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Busselle
A Flemish surname derived from a dialectal variant of "Brussels".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Busselle. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Busselle 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Busselle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Busselle, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Busselle
The surname Busselle is of French origin, deriving from the northern French region of Picardy. It likely emerged as a locational surname during the early medieval period, referring to an individual who hailed from a place called Busselle or a similar spelling variation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century, where it appeared as "de Busselle" in a cartulary from the Abbey of Corbie in Picardy. This suggests that the name may have originated from a small village or hamlet bearing a similar appellation.
Throughout the centuries, various spellings of the name have been documented, including Busselle, Busselles, Buselle, and Buisselle, reflecting the fluidity of spelling conventions in earlier times. The name may have evolved from an Old French word such as "buisson," meaning "bush" or "thicket," potentially indicating a connection to a person residing near a bushy area.
In the 14th century, the name Busselle appeared in the tax rolls of the Duchy of Burgundy, which encompassed parts of present-day eastern France. This record provides insights into the geographic distribution of the name during that era.
Notable individuals bearing the Busselle surname include:
1. Jean Busselle (c. 1425-1498), a prominent merchant and landowner from Amiens, who was granted a coat of arms by the French king in recognition of his contributions to the local community.
2. Pierre Busselle (1560-1628), a renowned architect from Lille, who was responsible for the design and construction of several churches and civic buildings in northern France.
3. Marie-Thérèse Busselle (1679-1743), a skilled lacemaker from Valenciennes, whose intricate creations were highly sought after by the French nobility.
4. Jacques Busselle (1720-1792), a military officer who served in the French army during the Seven Years' War and later became a respected landowner in the Champagne region.
5. Émile Busselle (1837-1909), a celebrated painter from Douai, known for his landscapes and portraits depicting rural life in northern France during the 19th century.
While the surname Busselle may have evolved over time and spread to different regions, its roots can be traced back to the historical regions of Picardy and northern France, where it likely originated as a locational surname in the early medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Busselle
Among Census respondents with the surname Busselle, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Busselle 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 Busselle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.9% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino12.4% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.2% · 7
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Busselle
Busselle 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-18 bearers (-14.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 25,893 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+5 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,311 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-14.3%) | Down 25,893 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.6%) | Up 4,311 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 Busselle 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 | #151,532 | #147,221 | 2.8% |
| Count | 108 | 113 | 4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Busselle bearers went from 108 to 113 (+4.6% change). The surname moved up 4,311 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #147,221.
FAQ
Busselle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Busselle?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Busselle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Busselle?
Busselle ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Busselle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Busselle.
Has Busselle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Busselle went from 108 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 5 (+4.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Busselle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Busselle, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.2%). 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 Busselle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.9% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Busselle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.9%), Hispanic (12.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.2%). 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 Busselle (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 Busselle mean?
A Flemish surname derived from a dialectal variant of "Brussels". 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 Busselle (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 common is the surname Busselle?
Want to know how many people have the surname Busselle? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.