2000
#44,997
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 449
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Bochner
A surname of Polish or German origin meaning "baker" or someone who bakes bread.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 647 Americans carry the last name Bochner. That puts it at #41,581 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 529,759 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bochner 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
647
1 in 529,759
Census rank
#41,581
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
564
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 564 bearers of the surname Bochner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 41581st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bochner, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bochner
The surname Bochner has its origins in Eastern Europe, particularly Poland and Russia. It is derived from the Yiddish word "bokhner," which means "cattle dealer" or "cattle merchant." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely involved in the cattle trade or related occupations.
The name Bochner can be traced back to the late 18th century and early 19th century in various regions of Poland and Russia. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name appear in birth and marriage records from these areas during this time period.
While the name Bochner does not appear in major historical documents like the Domesday Book, it is possible that variations or similar spellings may have existed in earlier centuries. Names often evolved over time due to changes in language, migration, and cultural influences.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Bochner was Mordechai Bochner, a Jewish scholar and writer who lived in the early 19th century in Poland. He authored several works on Jewish law and tradition.
Another notable figure was Samuel Bochner, a Polish-born mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of functional analysis. He was born in 1899 and spent much of his academic career in the United States.
In the literary world, Mordecai Richler, a renowned Canadian author, was born in 1931 to a family with the surname Bochner, which was later anglicized to Richler.
Isadore Bochner, born in 1910 in Poland, was a successful businessman and philanthropist who immigrated to the United States and became a prominent figure in the Jewish community.
Leo Bochner, born in 1924 in Austria, was a Holocaust survivor and author who documented his experiences during World War II in his memoir, "The Restless Wanderers."
While these are just a few examples, the surname Bochner has been carried by individuals from various backgrounds and professions throughout history, reflecting its origins and evolution over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bochner
Among Census respondents with the surname Bochner, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bochner 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 Bochner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.6% · 539
- Two or more races2.0% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 6
- Black or African American0.7% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bochner
Bochner 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
#45,653
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 468
+19 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 656 places
2020
#41,581
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 564
+96 bearers (+20.5%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Up 4,072 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #44,997 | 449 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #45,653 | 468 | 0.16 | +19 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 656 places |
| 2020 | #41,581 | 564 | 0.19 | +96 bearers (+20.5%) | Up 4,072 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 Bochner 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 | #45,653 | #41,581 | 8.9% |
| Count | 468 | 564 | 20.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.19 | 17.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bochner bearers went from 468 to 564 (+20.5% change). The surname moved up 4,072 positions in the national ranking, going from #45,653 to #41,581.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bochner
FAQ
Bochner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bochner?
Name Census estimates that about 647 living Americans carry the surname Bochner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 529,759 residents.
How common is Bochner?
Bochner ranks #41,581 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.19 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 564 people with the surname Bochner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (647), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.19 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 Bochner.
Has Bochner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bochner went from 468 recorded bearers to 564. That is an increase of 96 (+20.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #45,653 to #41,581.
What does the Census say about the background of Bochner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bochner, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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 Bochner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (539 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bochner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.6%), Two or More Races (2.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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 Bochner (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 Bochner mean?
A surname of Polish or German origin meaning "baker" or someone who bakes bread. 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 Bochner (0.19 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 are called Bochner?
See how many people have the last name Bochner on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.