Find out how popular the last name Buzzard is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Buzzard.

Buzzard, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Buzzard surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Buzzard in America

Buzzard is the 9845th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Buzzard surname appeared 3,287 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Buzzard.

We can also compare 2010 data for Buzzard to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Buzzard

The surname "Buzzard" is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the counties of Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire, sometime around the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "buser" or "buzer," which referred to a type of hawk or falcon. This suggests that the name may have originally been a nickname for someone who worked with or had a particular affinity for these birds.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which mentions a Robert Buser residing in Buckinghamshire. The spelling "Buzzard" first appeared in the 14th century, as evidenced by records from the nearby county of Northamptonshire, where a John Buzzard was documented in 1379.

The name also has connections to various place names in England, such as Buzzard's Bush in Oxfordshire and Buzzard's Valley in Gloucestershire. These locations likely derived their names from the presence of the bird of prey or from individuals with the surname "Buzzard" who resided there.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname "Buzzard." One of the earliest was Sir John Buzzard, who served as a member of Parliament for Buckinghamshire in the late 14th century. Another notable figure was Thomas Buzzard, a prominent English physician who lived from 1759 to 1835 and made significant contributions to the field of medicine.

In the 18th century, the name appeared in the records of the East India Company, with a Captain William Buzzard serving as a commander of one of their ships. The 19th century saw the birth of Samuel Buzzard, an English artist known for his landscape paintings, who lived from 1823 to 1898.

One of the most influential individuals with the surname "Buzzard" was Sir Edward Buzzard, a British physician and neurologist born in 1871. He made significant contributions to the study of neurology and served as the President of the Royal College of Physicians from 1935 to 1941.

While the surname "Buzzard" may have originated as a nickname for those associated with hawks or falcons, it has since become a well-established surname with a rich history spanning several centuries and numerous notable bearers across various fields.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Buzzard

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Buzzard.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Buzzard was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Buzzard has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Buzzard was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Buzzard, please contact us.

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