2000
#4,477
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,293
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.70
Rare Last name
Buxton
A locational surname referring to a town in Derbyshire, England, derived from Old English meaning "buck's town."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,708 Americans carry the last name Buxton. That puts it at #4,538 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,361 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buxton 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 Buxton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.7K
1 in 39,361
Census rank
#4,538
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,594 bearers of the surname Buxton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4538th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buxton, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buxton
The surname Buxton has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational surname derived from the town of Buxton in Derbyshire. The name is thought to have evolved from the Old English words "buck" meaning "male deer" and "tun" meaning "an enclosed settlement or estate."
Buxton is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land and property holdings commissioned by William the Conqueror. This early record suggests that the surname Buxton likely emerged from this area in the centuries following the Norman Conquest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Buxton can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199, where a William de Buckeston is mentioned. This spelling variation reflects the evolution of the name from its locational origins.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Ralph de Buxton served as the Sheriff of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. He was appointed to this position in 1275 by King Edward I.
During the 16th century, a clergyman named William Buxton (c. 1516 - 1594) gained recognition for his role in the English Reformation. He served as the Bishop of Norwich from 1570 until his death.
In the 18th century, Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton (1786 - 1845) was a prominent social reformer and abolitionist. He played a significant role in the campaign to abolish slavery in the British Empire.
Another individual of note was the English naturalist and writer Richard Buxton (1786 - 1865), who authored several works on botany and natural history.
The surname Buxton has also been associated with various places across England, such as Buxton in Norfolk, Buxton with Lamas in Norfolk, and Buxton in Wiltshire, further highlighting its locational origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buxton
Among Census respondents with the surname Buxton, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Buxton 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 Buxton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.8% · 6,063
- Black or African American11.6% · 884
- Two or more races4.2% · 322
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 205
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 56
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buxton
Buxton 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
#4,477
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,925
+632 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 2.69
Rank movement No rank change
2020
#4,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,594
-331 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 2.54
Rank movement Down 61 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,477 | 7,293 | 2.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,477 | 7,925 | 2.69 | +632 bearers (+8.7%) | No rank change |
| 2020 | #4,538 | 7,594 | 2.54 | -331 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 61 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 Buxton 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 | #4,477 | #4,538 | -1.4% |
| Count | 7,925 | 7,594 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.69 | 2.54 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buxton bearers went from 7,925 to 7,594 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 61 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,477 to #4,538.
FAQ
Buxton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buxton?
Name Census estimates that about 8,708 living Americans carry the surname Buxton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,361 residents.
How common is Buxton?
Buxton ranks #4,538 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,594 people with the surname Buxton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,708), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Buxton.
Has Buxton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buxton went from 7,925 recorded bearers to 7,594. That is a decrease of 331 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,477 to #4,538.
What does the Census say about the background of Buxton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buxton, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Buxton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.8% (6,063 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buxton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.8%), Black (11.6%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Buxton (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 Buxton mean?
A locational surname referring to a town in Derbyshire, England, derived from Old English meaning "buck's town." 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 Buxton (2.54 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 Buxton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.