Explore the Family Name Bodfish

The meaning of Bodfish

English: nickname or occupational name from Middle English butte, a term denoting some kind of fish + fish. It is probably a generic term for flatfish (sole, fluke, plaice, turbot, etc.) rather than a particular species. The surname may denote a seller of flatfish. Compare butt-woman ‘fishwife’, 1620 in the Oxford English Dictionary. Middle English butte is cognate with Swedish butta ‘turbot’ and Dutch bot ‘flounder’.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Bodfish in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Bodfish has seen an increase in popularity from 2000 to 2010. The rank of this surname moved up from 97,848 in 2000 to 92,719 in 2010, indicating a positive change of 5.24%. In terms of count, there were 172 instances of the surname in 2000, which increased to 198 by 2010, giving us a growth of 15.12%. Likewise, the proportion of individuals with the surname Bodfish per 100,000 people also saw an increase of 16.67%, changing from 0.06 in 2000 to 0.07 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#97,848#92,7195.24%
Count17219815.12%
Proportion per 100k0.060.0716.67%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bodfish

When it comes to the ethnic identity associated with the surname Bodfish, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows some interesting shifts between 2000 and 2010. In both years, there was no recorded instance of the surname among Asian/Pacific Islanders, Hispanics, or Black individuals. The surname was predominantly found within two ethnic groups: White and American Indian and Alaskan Native. The percentage of white individuals bearing the surname increased by 11.15%, from 54.07% in 2000 to 60.10% in 2010. On the other hand, the percentage of American Indians and Alaskan Natives with the surname Bodfish slightly decreased by 5.90%, from 41.86% in 2000 to 39.39% in 2010. There were no recorded instances of individuals with mixed ethnicities having this surname in either year.

20002010Change
White54.07%60.1%11.15%
American Indian and Alaskan Native41.86%39.39%-5.9%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Two or More Races0%0%0%
Hispanic0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%