2000
#12,009
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,387
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Buzzell
A French occupational surname for a butcher or an Old French nickname for a quarrelsome person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,532 Americans carry the last name Buzzell. That puts it at #13,246 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 135,369 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buzzell 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
2.5K
1 in 135,369
Census rank
#13,246
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,208 bearers of the surname Buzzell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13246th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buzzell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buzzell
The surname Buzzell is believed to have originated in England, with its roots dating back to the 11th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "buzzard," which referred to a type of hawk or falcon. This name may have been given to someone who had a keen eye or hunting skills reminiscent of the bird.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Buzzell can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name was likely spelled differently in those times, with variations such as Buzard or Buzarde.
During the Middle Ages, the name Buzzell was primarily concentrated in the counties of Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset in the southwest of England. Some historical records suggest that the name may have been associated with certain place names, such as Buzzard's Bush or Buzzard's Green, which were likely derived from the Old English words "buzard" and "broc" (meaning a brook or stream).
One notable individual bearing the surname Buzzell was Sir John Buzzell, a knight who lived in the 14th century and fought in the Hundred Years' War between England and France. Another prominent figure was William Buzzell, a merchant and landowner who lived in the 16th century and was mentioned in several records related to property transactions in Somerset.
In the 17th century, the name Buzzell appears in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in America, indicating that some individuals with this surname had migrated from England to the New World. One such person was Thomas Buzzell, who was born in England around 1620 and settled in Salisbury, Massachusetts in the 1640s.
Other individuals with the surname Buzzell who left their mark on history include John Buzzell (1766-1835), a Baptist minister and author from New Hampshire, and Isaac Buzzell (1784-1864), a soldier who served in the War of 1812 and later became a prominent citizen in Ohio.
Overall, the surname Buzzell has a rich history spanning several centuries and can be traced back to its English roots, with various notable bearers of the name contributing to the tapestry of different societies and cultures over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buzzell
Among Census respondents with the surname Buzzell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Buzzell 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 Buzzell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 1,982
- Two or more races4.5% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 26
- Black or African American1.0% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buzzell
Buzzell 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
#12,904
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,382
-5 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 895 places
2020
#13,246
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,208
-174 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 342 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,009 | 2,387 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,904 | 2,382 | 0.81 | -5 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 895 places |
| 2020 | #13,246 | 2,208 | 0.74 | -174 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 342 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 Buzzell 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 | #12,904 | #13,246 | -2.7% |
| Count | 2,382 | 2,208 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.74 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buzzell bearers went from 2,382 to 2,208 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 342 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,904 to #13,246.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Buzzell
FAQ
Buzzell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buzzell?
Name Census estimates that about 2,532 living Americans carry the surname Buzzell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 135,369 residents.
How common is Buzzell?
Buzzell ranks #13,246 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,208 people with the surname Buzzell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,532), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Buzzell.
Has Buzzell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buzzell went from 2,382 recorded bearers to 2,208. That is a decrease of 174 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,904 to #13,246.
What does the Census say about the background of Buzzell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buzzell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Buzzell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (1,982 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buzzell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Buzzell (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 Buzzell mean?
A French occupational surname for a butcher or an Old French nickname for a quarrelsome person. 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 Buzzell (0.74 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 Buzzell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.