2000
#1,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,089
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.33
Uncommon Last name
Busch
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) topographic surname derived from the Middle High German word "busch," meaning "bush" or "thicket."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,267 Americans carry the last name Busch. That puts it at #2,092 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,790 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Busch 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 Busch with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 17,790
Census rank
#2,092
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,802 bearers of the surname Busch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2092nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Busch, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Busch
The surname Busch is of German origin, derived from the word "Busch" meaning bush or shrub. It first emerged in the 12th century in the region of Westphalia, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the 1275 Westphalian land registry, which mentions a "Hermann von dem Busche" (Hermann from the bush). This suggests the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a notable bush or wooded area.
In the 14th century, variations such as "Bussche" and "Busschen" can be found in municipal records from cities like Cologne and Münster. The spelling eventually settled on the more modern "Busch" form by the 16th century.
An early prominent bearer of the name was Johann Busch, a 15th century Catholic priest and influential monastic reformer born in 1399 in Zwolle, Netherlands. His writings criticizing the lax observance of monastic rules were highly influential during the Devotio Moderna movement.
Another notable figure was the German Renaissance painter Hieronymus Busch, born around 1525 in Münster. He is best known for his religious altarpieces and portraits of wealthy patrons, which can still be seen in churches and museums across northwestern Germany.
In the 18th century, the Busch name spread across German-speaking lands along with several accomplished individuals. These include the philosopher and writer Johann Georg Büsch (1728-1800) and the renowned architect Johann Conrad Busch (1775-1844), responsible for many neoclassical buildings in Berlin.
As German immigrants came to America in the 19th century, the name took root there as well. One of the most famous American Busches was Adolphus Busch (1839-1913), the co-founder of the Anheuser-Busch brewing company in St. Louis, Missouri.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Busch
Among Census respondents with the surname Busch, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Busch 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 Busch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 15,112
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 568
- Two or more races3.1% · 517
- Black or African American2.6% · 434
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 115
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 56
Timeline
Historical Census data for Busch
Busch 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
#2,086
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,354
+265 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 5.88
Rank movement Down 151 places
2020
#2,092
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,802
-552 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 5.62
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,935 | 17,089 | 6.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,086 | 17,354 | 5.88 | +265 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 151 places |
| 2020 | #2,092 | 16,802 | 5.62 | -552 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 6 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 Busch 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 | #2,086 | #2,092 | -0.3% |
| Count | 17,354 | 16,802 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 5.88 | 5.62 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Busch bearers went from 17,354 to 16,802 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,086 to #2,092.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Busch
FAQ
Busch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Busch?
Name Census estimates that about 19,267 living Americans carry the surname Busch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,790 residents.
How common is Busch?
Busch ranks #2,092 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,802 people with the surname Busch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,267), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Busch.
Has Busch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Busch went from 17,354 recorded bearers to 16,802. That is a decrease of 552 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,086 to #2,092.
What does the Census say about the background of Busch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Busch, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Busch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (15,112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Busch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Busch (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 Busch mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) topographic surname derived from the Middle High German word "busch," meaning "bush" or "thicket." 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 Busch (5.62 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 common is the surname Busch?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Busch is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.