Explore the Family Name Bucknell
The meaning of Bucknell
English: habitational name from any of the places called Bucknell in Oxfordshire and Shropshire, Bucknall in Lincolnshire and Somerset, or Bucknowl in Dorset. These are all named with the Old English byname Bucca (see Buck) or Old English bucca ‘he-goat’ (with genitive -n) + hyll ‘hill’ in the first two examples or healh ‘nook, hollow’ in the latter two. Bucknowl in Dorset, recorded as Bubecnolle in 1285, is named from the Old English personal name Bubba (see Bubb) + cnoll ‘hill top’.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Bucknell in the United States?
Drawing on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname 'Bucknell' has seen a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In the year 2000, Bucknell ranked as the 45,573rd most popular surname in the United States, but by 2010, it had slipped to 47,356th place - a drop of roughly 3.91%. Despite this drop in rank, the actual number of people bearing the Bucknell surname increased slightly from 442 to 448 over the same period, representing a 1.36% increase. However, when comparing these figures to the entire population, the proportion of people named Bucknell per 100k decreased by 6.25%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #45,573 | #47,356 | -3.91% |
| Count | 442 | 448 | 1.36% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.16 | 0.15 | -6.25% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bucknell
Moving on to the ethnic identity associated with the Bucknell surname, again based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, we see some shifts between 2000 and 2010. The majority of Bucknells identified as White, accounting for 92.31% in 2000 and dropping slightly to 91.96% in 2010. The number of Bucknells identifying as Black saw an increase of 43.37%, bringing their representation up from 2.49% to 3.57%. On the other hand, those identifying as Hispanic saw a significant decrease of 45.10%, from 2.04% to 1.12%. The proportion of Bucknells identifying with two or more races also dropped by 11.06%. For the first time in 2010, there was a recorded percentage (1.34%) of Bucknells who identify as Asian/Pacific Islander, while the American Indian and Alaskan Native category remained at zero.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 92.31% | 91.96% | -0.38% |
| Black | 2.49% | 3.57% | 43.37% |
| Two or More Races | 2.26% | 2.01% | -11.06% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 1.34% | 0% |
| Hispanic | 2.04% | 1.12% | -45.1% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |