2000
#1,094
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,312
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.87
Uncommon Last name
Bacon
An occupational surname referring to a person who cured and sold pork.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 33,029 Americans carry the last name Bacon. That puts it at #1,195 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,377 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bacon 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 Bacon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
33K
1 in 10,377
Census rank
#1,195
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
29K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,803 bearers of the surname Bacon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1195th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bacon, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bacon
The surname BACON is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "bacon" meaning "pork" or "pig." The name likely originated in the late 11th century, referring to someone who raised pigs or dealt in pork.
BACON is believed to have first emerged as a surname in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in East Anglia, England. This region was known for its pig farming and pork trade during the Middle Ages. The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bachun."
Throughout the 13th and 14th centuries, the BACON surname can be found in various medieval records and documents across England. For instance, a John Bacon is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1275. Another notable early bearer was Robert Bacon (c. 1238-1314), an English judge and landowner from Suffolk.
By the 15th century, the name had spread to other parts of England, including London. One of the most famous BACON bearers was Sir Nicholas Bacon (1510-1579), an influential English politician and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal under Queen Elizabeth I. His son, Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626), was a renowned philosopher, statesman, scientist, and author, widely regarded as a leading figure of the scientific revolution.
Other notable individuals with the BACON surname include Roger Bacon (c. 1220-1292), an English philosopher and Franciscan friar who made significant contributions to the study of optics and natural sciences. Nathaniel Bacon (1647-1676) was a wealthy planter and leader of Bacon's Rebellion in colonial Virginia, a pivotal event in the history of the American colonies.
In the literary world, Delia Bacon (1811-1859) was an American writer and scholar known for her controversial theory that William Shakespeare's works were written by Sir Francis Bacon or a group of authors. Pea Bacon (1866-1936), born Walter Francis Scott, was an English music hall entertainer and comedian who popularized the comedic character "Pea" in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bacon
Among Census respondents with the surname Bacon, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bacon 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 Bacon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.6% · 20,919
- Black or African American17.5% · 5,046
- Two or more races4.5% · 1,290
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 910
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 370
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 268
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bacon
Bacon 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
#1,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,860
+548 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 10.12
Rank movement Down 87 places
2020
#1,195
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,803
-1,057 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 9.64
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,094 | 29,312 | 10.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,181 | 29,860 | 10.12 | +548 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 87 places |
| 2020 | #1,195 | 28,803 | 9.64 | -1,057 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 14 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 Bacon 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 | #1,181 | #1,195 | -1.2% |
| Count | 29,860 | 28,803 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 10.12 | 9.64 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bacon bearers went from 29,860 to 28,803 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,181 to #1,195.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bacon
FAQ
Bacon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bacon?
Name Census estimates that about 33,029 living Americans carry the surname Bacon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,377 residents.
How common is Bacon?
Bacon ranks #1,195 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 28,803 people with the surname Bacon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (33,029), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Bacon.
Has Bacon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bacon went from 29,860 recorded bearers to 28,803. That is a decrease of 1,057 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,181 to #1,195.
What does the Census say about the background of Bacon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bacon, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Bacon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.6% (20,919 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bacon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.6%), Black (17.5%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Bacon (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 Bacon mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who cured and sold pork. 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 Bacon (9.64 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 Bacon?
You can see how many people have the surname Bacon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.