2000
#7,502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,095
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.52
Rare Last name
Boozer
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of wine vessels or drinking mugs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,585 Americans carry the last name Boozer. That puts it at #7,949 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,756 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boozer 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
4.6K
1 in 74,756
Census rank
#7,949
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,998 bearers of the surname Boozer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7949th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boozer, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.8%. The next largest groups are Black (25.5%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boozer
The surname Boozer has its origins in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be an occupational name derived from the Middle English word "bouzer," which meant a drinker or tippler. This term likely evolved from the Old French word "boissor," meaning to drink.
In the historical records of the county of Cambridgeshire, the name appears as "Bouzer" in the year 1584. The variant spelling "Bowzer" is also found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, in 1612. These early mentions suggest that the name originated in the eastern regions of England.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Boozer was Robert Boozer, who was born in 1615 in the village of Bulmer, Essex. Another notable bearer of the name was William Boozer, a merchant from London, who was mentioned in the city's trade records in the late 17th century.
In the 18th century, the surname Boozer appeared in various parts of England, including Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. John Boozer, born in 1732 in Beverley, Yorkshire, was a renowned clockmaker whose works are still highly valued by collectors today.
During the 19th century, the name Boozer gained prominence in the United States, particularly in the state of Tennessee. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was John Boozer (1806-1872), a politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives and the Tennessee Senate.
Another notable figure was Samuel Boozer (1815-1893), a farmer and businessman from South Carolina, who played a significant role in the development of the cotton industry in the state. His son, John Boozer (1842-1913), followed in his footsteps and became a prominent cotton merchant.
In the literary world, the name Boozer is associated with the American author and journalist, Nellie Boozer (1880-1964), who wrote several books on life in the American South during the early 20th century.
While the surname Boozer may have originated from an occupation related to drinking, it has since evolved to become a distinguished name with a rich historical background, spanning multiple generations and geographical regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boozer
Among Census respondents with the surname Boozer, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.8%. The next largest groups are Black (25.5%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Boozer 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 Boozer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.8% · 2,630
- Black or African American25.5% · 1,021
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 165
- Two or more races4.0% · 161
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boozer
Boozer 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
#7,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,208
+113 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Down 364 places
2020
#7,949
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,998
-210 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 83 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,502 | 4,095 | 1.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,866 | 4,208 | 1.43 | +113 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 364 places |
| 2020 | #7,949 | 3,998 | 1.34 | -210 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 83 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 Boozer 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 | #7,866 | #7,949 | -1.1% |
| Count | 4,208 | 3,998 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.43 | 1.34 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boozer bearers went from 4,208 to 3,998 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 83 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,866 to #7,949.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Boozer
FAQ
Boozer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boozer?
Name Census estimates that about 4,585 living Americans carry the surname Boozer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,756 residents.
How common is Boozer?
Boozer ranks #7,949 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.34 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 3,998 people with the surname Boozer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,585), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.34 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 Boozer.
Has Boozer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boozer went from 4,208 recorded bearers to 3,998. That is a decrease of 210 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,866 to #7,949.
What does the Census say about the background of Boozer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boozer, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.8%. The next largest groups are Black (25.5%) and Hispanic (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 Boozer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.8% (2,630 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boozer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.8%), Black (25.5%), Hispanic (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 Boozer (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 Boozer mean?
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of wine vessels or drinking mugs. 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 Boozer (1.34 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 last name Boozer?
Find out how many people have the last name Boozer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.