2000
#635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 48,580
First available Census row
Per 100,000 18.01
Uncommon Last name
Booth
An occupational surname referring to a person who ran a market stall or a cowshed.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 53,914 Americans carry the last name Booth. That puts it at #714 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,357 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Booth 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 Booth with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
54K
1 in 6,357
Census rank
#714
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
47K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 47,016 bearers of the surname Booth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 714th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Booth, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Booth
The surname Booth is an English habitational name derived from the Old English word "bothy," meaning a small dwelling or hut. It originated in the county of Lancashire in the northwest of England, where the name was first recorded.
The name Booth can be traced back to the 12th century, with early records showing variations such as Botha, Bothe, and Botte. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166, where a person named Richard de Buth is mentioned.
The name Booth also appears in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey commissioned by William the Conqueror to record land ownership in England. The Domesday Book lists several places with names derived from "bothy," indicating the presence of early Booth families in various parts of the country.
During the Middle Ages, the Booth family became prominent landowners in Lancashire, with several branches holding manors and estates in the region. One notable member was Sir George Booth (1622-1684), a Parliamentarian during the English Civil War who later became a Royalist supporter.
Another famous bearer of the name was John Wilkes Booth (1838-1865), the American actor and assassin who fatally shot President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Despite his infamous act, the Booth family has a long and distinguished history in the United States, with many members achieving success in various fields.
Other notable individuals with the surname Booth include:
1. William Booth (1829-1912), the founder of the Salvation Army
2. Edwin Booth (1833-1893), a renowned American actor and brother of John Wilkes Booth
3. Cherie Booth (born 1954), a British barrister and wife of former Prime Minister Tony Blair
4. Wilbur Booth (1892-1983), an American baseball player and manager
5. Shirley Booth (1898-1992), an American actress known for her roles in film, television, and theater.
The surname Booth has a rich history, spanning centuries and continents, and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, from landowners and actors to religious leaders and athletes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Booth
Among Census respondents with the surname Booth, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Booth 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 Booth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.5% · 37,864
- Black or African American10.3% · 4,841
- Two or more races4.1% · 1,924
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,574
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 479
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 334
Timeline
Historical Census data for Booth
Booth 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
#697
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 49,402
+822 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 16.75
Rank movement Down 62 places
2020
#714
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,016
-2,386 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 15.73
Rank movement Down 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #635 | 48,580 | 18.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #697 | 49,402 | 16.75 | +822 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 62 places |
| 2020 | #714 | 47,016 | 15.73 | -2,386 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 17 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 Booth 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 | #697 | #714 | -2.4% |
| Count | 49,402 | 47,016 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 16.75 | 15.73 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Booth bearers went from 49,402 to 47,016 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #697 to #714.
FAQ
Booth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Booth?
Name Census estimates that about 53,914 living Americans carry the surname Booth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,357 residents.
How common is Booth?
Booth ranks #714 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 16 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 47,016 people with the surname Booth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (53,914), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 16 of them to have the surname Booth.
Has Booth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Booth went from 49,402 recorded bearers to 47,016. That is a decrease of 2,386 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #697 to #714.
What does the Census say about the background of Booth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Booth, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Booth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.5% (37,864 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Booth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.5%), Black (10.3%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Booth (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 Booth mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who ran a market stall or a cowshed. 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 Booth (15.73 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 have the surname Booth?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.