2000
#3,870
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,426
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.12
Rare Last name
Bandy
Derived from the Middle English word "bandi," referring to someone who was cheerful, lively, or merry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,190 Americans carry the last name Bandy. That puts it at #4,280 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,296 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bandy 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 Bandy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.2K
1 in 37,296
Census rank
#4,280
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,014 bearers of the surname Bandy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4280th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bandy, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bandy
The surname Bandy is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "banda," meaning a band or bond, which may have initially referred to someone who performed work related to binding or tying objects together.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bandy can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bandi" in the county of Hertfordshire. This suggests that the name was already established in parts of England by the 11th century.
Another early reference to the name Bandy appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1190, where it is spelled "Bande." This record indicates that individuals with this surname were present in the west of England during the 12th century.
In the 13th century, the surname Bandy emerged in various spellings, such as "Bandi," "Bandy," and "Bandye." These variations likely reflected regional differences in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.
One notable individual with the surname Bandy was John Bandy, a member of the Guild of Weavers in York, who was mentioned in the guild records in 1389. This suggests that the Bandy family may have been involved in the textile trade during the late medieval period.
Another early bearer of the name was William Bandy, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. This indicates the presence of the Bandy family in the West Midlands region of England during the 14th century.
In the 16th century, the surname Bandy was found in various parts of England, including the counties of Cheshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. One notable individual from this period was Thomas Bandy, who was born in Cheshire around 1520 and served as a justice of the peace during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
During the 17th century, the surname Bandy continued to be documented across England. One notable figure was Richard Bandy, a member of the Parliamentarian forces during the English Civil War, who fought in the Battle of Naseby in 1645.
In the 18th century, the Bandy family was well-established in various regions of England, with individuals bearing the surname appearing in records from counties such as Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Yorkshire. One notable individual from this period was John Bandy, a farmer from Oxfordshire who was born in 1712.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bandy
Among Census respondents with the surname Bandy, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bandy 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 Bandy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.0% · 6,173
- Black or African American13.8% · 1,107
- Two or more races4.2% · 340
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 284
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 63
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 47
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bandy
Bandy 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
#4,133
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,582
+156 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 2.91
Rank movement Down 263 places
2020
#4,280
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,014
-568 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 2.68
Rank movement Down 147 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,870 | 8,426 | 3.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,133 | 8,582 | 2.91 | +156 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 263 places |
| 2020 | #4,280 | 8,014 | 2.68 | -568 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 147 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 Bandy 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 | #4,133 | #4,280 | -3.6% |
| Count | 8,582 | 8,014 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.91 | 2.68 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bandy bearers went from 8,582 to 8,014 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 147 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,133 to #4,280.
FAQ
Bandy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bandy?
Name Census estimates that about 9,190 living Americans carry the surname Bandy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,296 residents.
How common is Bandy?
Bandy ranks #4,280 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,014 people with the surname Bandy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,190), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Bandy.
Has Bandy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bandy went from 8,582 recorded bearers to 8,014. That is a decrease of 568 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,133 to #4,280.
What does the Census say about the background of Bandy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bandy, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Bandy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.0% (6,173 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bandy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.0%), Black (13.8%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Bandy (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 Bandy mean?
Derived from the Middle English word "bandi," referring to someone who was cheerful, lively, or merry. 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 Bandy (2.68 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 Americans have the surname Bandy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.