2000
#103,193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 161
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Beachey
From an English place name derived from the Old English words meaning "ridge" and "wood".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 173 Americans carry the last name Beachey. That puts it at #120,768 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,981,239 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beachey 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.
Bearers in the US
173
1 in 1,981,239
Census rank
#120,768
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
151
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 151 bearers of the surname Beachey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 120768th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beachey, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beachey
The surname BEACHEY is of English origin, deriving from a locational name associated with the village of Beachy in Sussex, England. This village name is believed to have stemmed from the Old English words "bece" meaning "stream" and "eg" meaning "island," suggesting the village was situated on an island in a stream.
In early records, the name appeared with various spellings such as Bechie, Beachie, and Beachy, reflecting the variations common in transcribing surnames before standardized spelling became widespread. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk from 1273, where it is spelled as "Bechie."
The BEACHEY surname is not present in the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, suggesting the name likely emerged later during the medieval period. However, its connection to the village of Beachy in Sussex indicates the family's roots were established in that region by the 13th century.
Historically notable individuals bearing the BEACHEY surname include William Beachey (1548-1626), an English landowner and member of Parliament for Rye, Sussex, during the reign of King James I. Another prominent figure was John Beachey (1691-1768), a successful merchant and shipowner from Rye, whose trade ventures contributed to the town's prosperity in the 18th century.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the BEACHEY surname can be found in the 1790 census, where Samuel Beachey was listed as a resident of Pennsylvania. The name also gained recognition through the aviator Lincoln Beachey (1887-1915), a pioneering stunt pilot and aerobatic performer who gained fame for his daring aerial maneuvers in the early 20th century.
Another notable individual was Sir William Beachey (1839-1924), a British civil engineer and contractor who played a significant role in the construction of the Suez Canal and various railway projects in Egypt and India during the late 19th century.
While the BEACHEY surname may not be among the most prevalent, its history can be traced back to the medieval village of Beachy in Sussex, England, where the name originated as a locational identifier for the region's inhabitants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beachey
Among Census respondents with the surname Beachey, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Beachey 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 Beachey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.0% · 145
- Two or more races2.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beachey
Beachey 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
#109,258
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 162
+1 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 6,065 places
2020
#120,768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 151
-11 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 11,510 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #103,193 | 161 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #109,258 | 162 | 0.05 | +1 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 6,065 places |
| 2020 | #120,768 | 151 | 0.05 | -11 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 11,510 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 Beachey 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 | #109,258 | #120,768 | -10.5% |
| Count | 162 | 151 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | 1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beachey bearers went from 162 to 151 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 11,510 positions in the national ranking, going from #109,258 to #120,768.
FAQ
Beachey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beachey?
Name Census estimates that about 173 living Americans carry the surname Beachey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,981,239 residents.
How common is Beachey?
Beachey ranks #120,768 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 151 people with the surname Beachey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (173), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Beachey.
Has Beachey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beachey went from 162 recorded bearers to 151. That is a decrease of 11 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #109,258 to #120,768.
What does the Census say about the background of Beachey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beachey, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%). 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 Beachey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (145 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beachey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.0%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%). 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 Beachey (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 Beachey mean?
From an English place name derived from the Old English words meaning "ridge" and "wood". 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 Beachey (0.05 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 Beachey?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Beachey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.