2000
#9,839
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,030
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.12
Rare Last name
Buster
An occupational surname for someone who made or repaired casks and barrels, derived from the Middle English "bouste".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,076 Americans carry the last name Buster. That puts it at #11,268 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,429 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Buster 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 Buster with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 111,429
Census rank
#11,268
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,682 bearers of the surname Buster in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11268th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Buster, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Hispanic (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Buster
The surname Buster originated in England and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "borstere," which referred to a maker or seller of brushes, particularly those used for cleaning. The name was likely an occupational surname initially given to individuals involved in this trade.
The earliest known record of the surname Buster can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it is spelled "Borster." This ancient document recorded landowners and taxpayers in medieval England. Over time, the spelling evolved to its current form, Buster.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Buster was William Buster, who lived in Worcestershire, England, in the late 14th century. He was mentioned in the County Court Rolls of Worcestershire in 1389.
In the 16th century, the surname Buster was found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. One notable person from this time was John Buster, a merchant from York, who was mentioned in the city's records in 1542.
Another notable individual with the surname Buster was Sir Edward Buster (1578-1648), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury in the early 17th century.
The surname Buster is also associated with several place names in England, such as Buster's Green in Hertfordshire and Buster's Hill in Wiltshire. These place names likely originated from individuals with the surname Buster who lived or owned land in those areas.
In the 18th century, the Buster surname gained prominence with the birth of Samuel Buster (1731-1812), an English inventor and engineer who is credited with developing an improved spinning machine for cotton.
Another notable figure with the surname Buster was Sir William Buster (1811-1892), a British army officer who served in the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military honor in the British Empire, for his bravery during the Siege of Lucknow in 1857.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname Buster who have left their mark throughout history. The name has a rich heritage rooted in the occupational trades of medieval England and has since spread to various parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Buster
Among Census respondents with the surname Buster, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Hispanic (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Buster 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 Buster surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.6% · 1,841
- Black or African American16.6% · 444
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 150
- Two or more races5.4% · 145
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.1% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Buster
Buster 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
#10,030
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,211
+181 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 191 places
2020
#11,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,682
-529 bearers (-16.5%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 1,238 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,839 | 3,030 | 1.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,030 | 3,211 | 1.09 | +181 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 191 places |
| 2020 | #11,268 | 2,682 | 0.90 | -529 bearers (-16.5%) | Down 1,238 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 Buster 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 | #10,030 | #11,268 | -12.3% |
| Count | 3,211 | 2,682 | -16.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 0.90 | -17.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Buster bearers went from 3,211 to 2,682 (-16.5% change). The surname moved down 1,238 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,030 to #11,268.
FAQ
Buster surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Buster?
Name Census estimates that about 3,076 living Americans carry the surname Buster. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,429 residents.
How common is Buster?
Buster ranks #11,268 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,682 people with the surname Buster. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,076), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Buster.
Has Buster become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Buster went from 3,211 recorded bearers to 2,682. That is a decrease of 529 (-16.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,030 to #11,268.
What does the Census say about the background of Buster?
Among Census respondents with the surname Buster, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.6%) and Hispanic (5.6%). 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 Buster in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.6% (1,841 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Buster appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.6%), Black (16.6%), Hispanic (5.6%). 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 Buster (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 Buster mean?
An occupational surname for someone who made or repaired casks and barrels, derived from the Middle English "bouste". 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 Buster (0.90 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 Buster?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Buster at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.