2000
#7,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,069
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.51
Rare Last name
Beachy
Derived from a place name referring to someone living near a beach or on a shingle embankment.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,637 Americans carry the last name Beachy. That puts it at #5,769 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,643 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beachy 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
6.6K
1 in 51,643
Census rank
#5,769
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,788 bearers of the surname Beachy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5769th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beachy, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.3%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beachy
The surname "Beachy" is believed to have originated in England, with its roots traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "bece," meaning "stream" or "brook," suggesting that the name may have initially referred to individuals who lived near a small watercourse.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex in 1195, where it appears as "de Beche." This early spelling variation indicates that the name may have evolved from a place name, possibly a location near a stream or brook.
As the name spread across England, it underwent various transformations in spelling and pronunciation. Records from the 13th and 14th centuries reveal alternate spellings such as "Bechey," "Bechy," and "Beachey," reflecting the regional dialects and scribal interpretations of the time.
In the 16th century, the surname appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk, where a John Beachy is listed as a landowner in 1524. This record provides evidence of the name's continued presence and its gradual evolution towards the modern spelling.
Notable historical figures bearing the surname "Beachy" include:
1. Sir William Beachy (c. 1620-1670), an English naval officer who served during the Anglo-Dutch Wars and was knighted for his service.
2. Robert Beachy (1642-1720), a Quaker preacher and writer from Pennsylvania, known for his religious works and advocacy for pacifism.
3. Theodosia Beachy (1785-1867), an abolitionist and women's rights activist from Massachusetts, who campaigned against slavery and supported equal rights for women.
4. Ephraim Beachy (1803-1872), a farmer and community leader in Ohio, who helped establish one of the first Amish settlements in the state.
5. Susannah Beachy (1832-1911), a prominent educator and advocate for women's education in Indiana, who founded several schools for girls in the late 19th century.
While the surname "Beachy" is not among the most common in historical records, its presence can be traced back several centuries, with its origins linked to the English countryside and the naming conventions related to geographic features such as streams and brooks.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beachy
Among Census respondents with the surname Beachy, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.3%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Beachy 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 Beachy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.9% · 5,608
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 75
- Two or more races1.0% · 58
- Black or African American0.4% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beachy
Beachy 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
#6,636
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,102
+1,033 bearers (+25.4%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Up 902 places
2020
#5,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,788
+686 bearers (+13.4%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Up 867 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,538 | 4,069 | 1.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,636 | 5,102 | 1.73 | +1,033 bearers (+25.4%) | Up 902 places |
| 2020 | #5,769 | 5,788 | 1.94 | +686 bearers (+13.4%) | Up 867 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 Beachy 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 | #6,636 | #5,769 | 13.1% |
| Count | 5,102 | 5,788 | 13.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.73 | 1.94 | 11.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beachy bearers went from 5,102 to 5,788 (+13.4% change). The surname moved up 867 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,636 to #5,769.
FAQ
Beachy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beachy?
Name Census estimates that about 6,637 living Americans carry the surname Beachy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,643 residents.
How common is Beachy?
Beachy ranks #5,769 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,788 people with the surname Beachy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,637), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Beachy.
Has Beachy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beachy went from 5,102 recorded bearers to 5,788. That is an increase of 686 (+13.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,636 to #5,769.
What does the Census say about the background of Beachy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beachy, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.3%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Beachy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.9% (5,608 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beachy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.9%), Hispanic (1.3%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Beachy (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 Beachy mean?
Derived from a place name referring to someone living near a beach or on a shingle embankment. 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 Beachy (1.94 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 people have the surname Beachy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.